Becoming Agent Rider
by GrangerWinchester
Summary: Set after SR. After Jack's death, Alex goes to live with the Pleasures. But when his past catches up with him and puts the Pleasures in danger, what decisions will he make as he begins a journey to becoming a full-fledged agent, learning to truly embrace that identity? Rating may change.
1. Attempting Normal Life

**A/N: Set after SR. Italics are memories.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

It was a relief to lock himself in his fourth floor bedroom in the silent Victorian-style house, the Pleasures' home. After Alex had finished his mission in Cairo a month and a half ago, he had moved to San Francisco to live with the Pleasures, his new adoptive family. During the past year, he had become friends with Sabina Pleasure when he was a ball boy at Wimbledon and soon met her parents, Edward and Liz Pleasure. They kept in touch even after the events on Air Force One. Now, the day he arrived in San Francisco was still fresh in his mind.

 _He had spent the last week in England in an MI6 manor house before Edward Pleasure had come to take him to America for a fresh start. Surprisingly, Mrs. Jones had arranged everything, even a permanent visa, and Alan Blunt had put up little resistance. Perhaps they finally found their conscience when it came to him. The head of the Special Operations division of MI6 certainly had more humanity left in her than the chief executive of the same division. This new legal guardian arrangement was a far cry from the days when Blunt and Jones would blackmail him with his housekeeper's expiring visa to get him to work for them. Thinking back, maybe it would've been better if he had never succumbed to the blackmail. Jack, his guardian and surrogate sister, would've been alive and back in America with her parents if he had just let her go when his uncle died instead of taking the mission in exchange for her permanent visa. He would've had to live in an institution with no one who truly cared about him, at the mercy of MI6 without anyone to help him pick up the pieces, but at least he wouldn't have lost her in one of the most violent ways possible. There wasn't even a body left to bury. With the loss of his guardian, he had shut down and become listless. There was a dead look in his serious brown eyes. It was like a part of him had died in Egypt. He barely ate or slept. He couldn't look at himself in the mirror. He spoke little and even when he spoke, it was only to reply to a question directed at him with one word answers. This was how Edward Pleasure found him when he picked him up from the manor house. But even only after two days spent with Edward, it was plain for all to see that Alex had improved a bit._

 _When they landed at the airport in America, they were quickly ushered through security by men in cheap suits and lead into a secure room. Joe Byrne, the deputy director of operations in the Covert Action section of the CIA, was already in the room and gestured for them to sit down across from him._

 _"What's going on? Who are you?" Edward asked, eyeing Byrne warily. Alex had remained silent._

 _"Alex knows who I am and who I work for. I am only here to deliver a message." Byrne replied calmly, continuing to examine Alex as if looking for something._

 _"Alex?" Edward questioned apprehensively._

 _After another minute, Alex broke the tense silence._

 _"What's the message?"_

 _"How are you, Alex?" Bryne countered. "The last time I saw you, it seemed like you were operating on autopilot."_

 _Alex studied Byrne for a moment before quietly saying, "I'm fine." He hesitated and then added, "I just need time."_

 _Bryne nodded and seemed to come to a decision. "I understand that you probably never want to see anyone from the intelligence community again and that you're out of the field. For what it's worth, I want to tell you that I'm sorry you were thrown into the world of espionage. And at such a young age too. Blunt should never have used you." Alex snorted at this but Byrne continued. "I should never have agreed to Blunt lending your services to us in the beginning. But sometimes, I don't regret it because you prevented a nuclear disaster among many other things. I hope you're proud of all that you've achieved this past year."_

 _He paused and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and pushed it towards Alex. "This is a direct line to me. If you ever need help, you can call. Since you've taken out another Scorpia operation, I've placed some agents to keep an eye on you for a couple of months, just in case. Even though MI6 has issued a warning with the same deal as last time, some rogue Scorpia agents could still come after you. This is the least I could do after all you've done for us. For the world. Now, go be an ordinary schoolboy like you always wanted to be." Alex nodded, accepting Byrne's efforts. At this point, Byrne stood up so Alex and Edward did the same. They shook hands and left the airport._

Alex shook himself out of the memory and sighed. He had been living with the Pleasures for 6 weeks now and they treated him like family. While he appreciated all they'd done for him, he couldn't help feeling like he didn't belong. The Pleasures walked on eggshells around him, like they thought he would break at the mention of Jack or anything else from his past life. It was annoying that they thought he was fragile. It was also tiring to act like the past year hadn't happened when he was around them. This was why it was such a relief to be locked in his bedroom now, his sanctuary from keeping up the façade. They were at a party that Edward had been invited to as a successful journalist. The talk had turned to the latest news on the Chinese triads' activities. Something about an arms deal. He didn't mind, was even interested, but the Pleasures had frozen for a moment and tried to turn the conversation to some inane topic. He became frustrated so he made his excuses, saying he was tired, and went back to the Pleasures' house by himself.

Even though he had improved over the last 6 weeks, he knew the Pleasures worried about him. His eyes had a spark of life in them now, he was eating more, and he made more conversation but he was still quieter than he should be. At school, he was still listless, going through the motions and doing homework but not really putting in the effort and his grades reflected that. He hadn't made any friends. Sabina had tried introducing him to her friends but they were too nosy and immature, even going so far as to make it a contest between themselves to see who could get him to reveal the most about himself. The other students at Elmer E. Robinson High School called him a loser even while being scared of looking into his eyes. For they were eyes that had seen too much, more than anyone in their lifetime should see, much less a 15 year old boy. They were a hardened soldier's eyes. At night, he would get 4 to 5 hours of sleep before he woke up in a silent scream from a nightmare. It was usually about Jack's death. Sometimes, Sayle, Grief, Sarov, Cray, Rothman, Drevin, Ash, McCain, or Razim would make an appearance. Other times, Julius would also be there and it was those nights that he would spend the next hour vomiting into the toilet over what he'd done and avoiding mirrors for the rest of the day for fear of seeing the surgically altered clone in his reflection.

A door slammed somewhere in the house and he groaned. It was time to build up the façade again and face the Pleasures.

"Alex!" Liz Pleasure called out worriedly. She came to knock on his door. "Are you alright?"

Alex opened the door and gave her a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired." She looked at him as if unsure whether or not to say the next thing on her mind. To ease her worries, he added, "I think I'll go for a walk tomorrow."

"Will you take Sabina? I'm sure she'd like to spend some time out of the house with you."

"Sure," he acquiesced while internally sighing.


	2. Picnics and Bombs

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who followed, favorited, or reviewed the story! It's my first time writing anything that isn't an essay for school so it means a lot.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

The next morning, he and Sabina went out for a walk and a picnic at Golden Gate Park. It was a bright Sunday with clear skies and a light breeze - perfect weather. The vibrant green leaves seemed to wave gently at the people while the strong tree trunks provided shade for the park goers to relax under. Surrounding them, the picnic tables were all full, there were children laughing, some couples taking a stroll, a man sketching the park landscape, and a few people reading. There were even people playing different instruments at various intervals.

But for Alex and Sabina, the atmosphere was tense and awkward. Neither knew what to say. Alex wanted to have an honest conversation for once but that was exactly what the Pleasures had been avoiding. After all, it can't be an honest conversation when the person you're talking to refuses to acknowledge a major part of your past, a part of who you are. Finally, Sabina had had enough of the silence. She started to chatter on about the latest gossip at school and poking fun at the recent theories of Alex their classmates had come up with, hoping to elicit more than the nod and smile he gave her at various points. When he had first come to live with the Pleasures, he had decided on the cover story that he had gone through several abusive foster homes before becoming friends with Sabina and her parents had been kind enough to adopt him. Most of the students just ignored him. However, because of his cover story, and the fact that he was a quiet foreigner with a haunted look to his eyes, some bullies had decided that he was the perfect target. They often blocked his way, taunting and spreading rumors about him. The latest rumour was that his parents hadn't wanted him so the Pleasures took pity on him but that he was actually just taking advantage of Sabina. There was a time when he might have retaliated but he didn't want to have a record of behavioral problems for the Pleasures to deal with. Besides, after Jack's death, he just didn't have it in him and he didn't want to draw even more attention to himself. Lately though, he found himself thinking more often about how easy it would be to put them in their place. He could easily knock them out and they wouldn't even see it coming. While he was lost in these thoughts and listening to Sabina's chatter, he had subconsciously been watching the people around them. A toddler waved at him, a group of teenagers had started a game of frisbee, and a lone man was slowly making his way towards the barbeque pits. Odd. Maybe he was waiting for some friends to join him for a barbecue.

"The football team is having a party tonight at 6. You should come join," Sabina suddenly said. It was only at this point that Alex realized she had stopped talking for awhile. Alex opened his mouth to refuse but Sabina plowed on. "And before you say no, I know you don't have anything else to do and you haven't been socializing. That can't be healthy for you."

"What are you talking about?" He held out his arm, like he was preparing for an arm wrestle, with an amused smirk. "Look at the muscles I have! Lean, strong body - I'm definitely healthy." He wanted to lighten the mood and it had worked, if only for a moment.

Sabina let out a surprised laugh and rolled her eyes. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it." She sobered up and hesitated before continuing. "Maybe you should try going to a different psychologist. The two that Dad found for you might not have been what you needed but...maybe you should try again. Third time's the charm, right? You need to learn how to socialize with your peers again. And you need to learn how to trust again. You can't stay alone forever."

He sighed and turned towards her. "I'm trying, Sab. Really. I'm not going to another psychologist though." He shuddered, remembering his appointments with the two shrinks. The first one had been so condescending and arrogant, thinking he knew it all, that he actually tried to persuade him that he had a faulty memory! In all fairness, Alex had an unusual childhood. That was still no reason to dismiss his memories as false. It would have been less absurd if the guy had outright claimed he was lying. The second one had been no better. She had been constantly knocking over everything and startling at every sound. Maybe she had been afraid of him after hearing some of his past. He snorted. Whatever it was, she could cross off army psychologist as a career option. Hearing him snort, Sabina looked at him questioningly.

He chose to ignore her look and headed over to a large tree to set up the picnic. "Even if the psychologists were decent, what's the point when they don't have the clearance for me to talk about the things that matter? I can't go spilling highly classified information." Alex chuckled darkly. "Hell, I _am_ highly classified."

They fell silent at this and sat down to eat their sandwiches, salads, and cookies that Liz had packed for them. It was a while before Sabina spoke again. "Alright, so maybe a psychologist doesn't work. You can still go to a party though. Try to have some fun and talk to people." Her bright blue eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Who knows? You might even meet the girl, or guy, of your dreams! Although personally, I think you can do much better than the people at school. The highest I'd rate any of them is a 7 out of 20."

Alex laughed lightly, remembering the time Sabina spent rating every guy that passed by during one of their outings when they were vacationing in the South of France. "Harsh. Would you still rate me a 12 and a half?"

Sabina pretended to think for a minute. "No, you're a 13. But you'll be perfect in 5 years," her words slightly echoing those she had spoken on their vacation. She flipped her dark hair and carried on. "So, what do you say to attending the party with me?"

He gave her a long look before finally answering in the negative, holding up a hand to stop her protests. "I know you're worried but we both know I don't fit in."

She was just about to protest again but it didn't matter. Suddenly, Alex felt a cold, prickling feeling all over his body. The very air around them had gone still, as if sensing the danger, even if the people around them were oblivious and carried on with their day. He scanned their surroundings and spotted the lone man from before that he had thought odd. He was a short Asian with scars and tattoos. He couldn't have been more than 25 years old. It could have been nothing but Alex's instincts were tingling when he saw the man placing something in the barbeque pit. Then, underneath the sleeve of his black t-shirt, Alex caught a glimpse of a red circle tattooed on his arm before it was quickly covered up as the man straightened from his position. Alex froze. He knew that tattoo. And it could only mean trouble.

"Alex?" Sabina called out in concern, a deep frown marring her features. After that, everything seemed to happen slowly, and yet, all at once. In the blink of an eye, the man was already gone, having hurried away. Alex had already speed-dialed Byrne's number and started walking towards the barbeque pit, before he even knew what he was doing, taking care to keep out of the Asian's sight. At the same time, it seemed like Byrne was taking forever to answer his phone. He reached the barbeque pit and stared in horror at what he found when he pulled off the garbage bag covering it. Looking at the people enjoying their day at the park, he made sure no one had seen his expression. It wouldn't do to alert them to the danger too soon. Sabina had started to make her way towards him, wondering what was going on, so he motioned for her to stay put.

"Byrne," a voice finally answered on the phone.

"Mr. Byrne, this is Alex Rider. I'm - "

"Alex! I was just about to call you!" Byrne exclaimed, evidently relieved.

"What?! Why would you…", he trailed off. His eyes narrowed. "Something's happened, hasn't it? Never mind. I'm at Golden Gate Park and I just saw a Big Circle member place a bomb in a barbeque pit." Byrne tried to ask him a question but Alex talked over him. "It's set to go off in 15 minutes and I don't know if any other bombs have been placed. I'm going after him." Alex had already set off in the direction the man had gone, halfway to the edge of the park.

"Alex, no! You _are not_ to go after him, you hear me? I'm notifying the SFPD and sending some agents in to conduct an evacuation. I'll be landing in San Francisco shortly anyways. I need you to stay where you are so we can find you. You'll be more use to everyone where you are right now, not going after the man yourself." Byrne paused. "Don't leave the park unless you're attacked. In that case, contact me as soon as it's safe. If you're not at the park when my agents arrive and I don't hear from you in half an hour from now, I'm sending out an alert and a search party."

"Fine." He hung up and it wasn't long before he heard the sirens. Afterwards, everything was a blur. An agent he had worked with before, Ed Shulsky, greeted him before having him recount everything he remembered about the situation while the authorities evacuated everyone in an orderly fashion, even if the civilians were in a state of mild panic. The area was cordoned off and there were teams sent out all over the park to do the same if any other bombs were found. A few bomb squads were on standby while a team worked on disabling the one Alex had found. Meanwhile, he and Sabina were ushered into a black armored vehicle and brought to a grey building in the middle of an industrial district. A sign indicated that it was the business place of the Collective Investment Association.

"CIA building," he supplied in response to Sabina's questioning glance. She nodded in understanding as they were led through a reception area and into an elevator which took them to the 5th floor. He guessed that the elevator would have similar cameras and detectors doing security scans as the Royal and General, MI6's headquarters, did. They followed Shulsky to an office where Byrne tiredly greeted them and offered a drink before they sat down in some of the chairs facing the deputy director. Alex was not surprised to see that his earlier theory of Byrne having similar offices in every major American city was confirmed. In Miami and New York, the offices both had the same ordinary furniture, blank walls, and air conditioning. The office here in San Francisco was no different. What was surprising was the presence of Edward and Liz Pleasure standing next to a couple of agents who had expressionless faces.

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here? What's going on?" Sabina asked anxiously. Liz went over to hug her daughter while Edward went over to Alex slowly, limping with his brass-handled walking stick.

"Someone broke into our house and left a message while we were all out," Edward explained to Sabina. "Are you alright, Alex? Mr. Byrne says you ran into some trouble as well."

"I'm fine. It's being taken care of."

"Alright everyone!" Byrne interrupted, calling the room to order. "We have two situations here. The first is the bomb that Alex found at Golden Gate Park." Liz gasped at this news but Byrne ignored her. "We'll be updated on that situation shortly, so we'll turn our attention to the second situation for now." He turned to address Alex. "Earlier today, one of the agents I had keeping an eye on your house was shot in the forehead. We were alerted to this because he missed a check in that was supposed to take place shortly afterwards. When the others went to investigate, they found the agent's body hidden in some bushes, your bedroom had been broken into, and a note with a silver scorpion was left on your bed."

Alex closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly before looking at Byrne calmly. "It's been 6 weeks. Why now?"

"We don't know. There hasn't even been a whisper of Scorpia activity since Cairo," Byrne answered with a hint of frustration. "Considering the amount of time between then and this incident, I'd guess that it's a low level operative who wasn't sanctioned by Scorpia for the attack."

"But why today?" Alex mused. A moment later, he swore. The rest of the room's occupants stared at him, confusedly, some amused and others worried. Luck of the devil indeed. How likely was it that the day someone attempted to assassinate him was the same day that a park was supposed to be bombed? Once, he might've chalked it up to coincidence. But ever since Blunt had introduced him to espionage, he had slowly started to learn that there was no such thing as coincidence. I've been getting careless, he thought. How many times had Ian told him that routine gets you killed? And routine was exactly what he'd been doing the whole time he was in America, with the exception of today. Every Sunday, the Pleasures would go out and he'd have the house to himself but he'd only stay in his room. That must've been why the assassin had only broken into his room at first. "There's no such thing as coincidence," Alex offered drily as an explanation.

"...True, but you're not supposed to worry about things like that anymore," Byrne replied with a hint of sadness while Alex shrugged in response. The other agents in the room exchanged surprised looks. It was rare to see one of the heads of the intelligence agencies show such blatant emotion towards other people. Just who was this kid to have assassins after him? To be able to draw out concern from their usually stoic boss? From the lack of secrecy displayed, it was also evident to the agents that Byrne trusted Alex implicitly which only added to their confusion.

"So what happens now?" Edward asked, voicing his family's concerns. Liz and Sabina were still shocked into silence at the information being revealed and its implications.

Byrne turned towards the Pleasures. "Since the Scorpia agent broke into your house, we're going to operate on the assumption that Alex isn't the only one in danger. We're moving you to a safehouse and you are not to communicate with anyone except the agents staying with you." Unsure of what was best for them in this situation, the Pleasures nodded their acceptance as they trusted the authorities on the matter. Too trusting, Alex thought. The intelligence agencies always played their cards in their own favor, manipulating everything around them. That was something else he had gradually learned after meeting Blunt. "As for Alex, a safehouse might not be enough for him, especially after the incident at the park today." The Pleasures exchanged worried and fearful glances with each other at this news. The last thing they wanted was for Alex to be pulled back into the espionage world, especially without support from people who cared for him.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Byrne called. A dozen grim-faced agents filed into the room but looked quizzically at Alex and the Pleasures as they stood in a line in front of Byrne. "Gates, take the Pleasures to sign the Espionage Act, will you?" A short, dark haired agent, who had been in the room before Alex and Sabina had arrived, gestured for the overwhelmed family to follow him. Once the door had closed again, Byrne turned towards the agents that had filed in. "Martin, report on the situation."

The first agent in the line stepped forward. He was tall with black hair, heavyset brows, and green eyes which flicked towards Alex in confusion before focusing on his boss again. "Our sweep of the park revealed more bombs placed at the soccer and polo fields, the golf clubhouse, the Japanese tea garden, and the tennis courts. They were all set to go off at different times and we were lucky that the first one that was found turned out to be the first one that was supposed to go off so we were able to disable all of them without any casualties. We've examined the CCTV footage surrounding the edges of the park and found a man near 30th Avenue, who matched the description given to us. Tracking him through the footage, an SFPD team managed to catch him by surprise and apprehend him. He's in our custody now, being interrogated as we speak."

Byrne nodded and then asked, "Alex, do you think you could identify the man for us?"

He shrugged. "Most likely." He knew he could because he never forgot a face. It was why he could recognize the guard from Sayle's compound after the Point Blanc mission, Skoda on his school trip after the events on Skeleton Key, and Spectacles when he was on his way to the movies.

They went down to the basement, where the interrogation rooms were, to confirm that they had the right person. As soon as Alex saw the man they had in custody, he stiffened. It was the right man, and he confidently told them so, but that was not what had caught his attention. Above the waist, the man was dripping wet. He had been waterboarded. The sight had brought back Alex's own memories of a CIA agent, Blake Lewinsky, waterboarding him in Cairo. He could still remember the feeling of drowning, his lungs on fire. If Byrne hadn't stopped his agents when he did, he didn't think that he'd have survived. At least, that was what it had felt like at the time. Even though he was uncomfortable with the torture being displayed, he knew he couldn't interfere so he turned his face away to examine the two agents who had come down with them while Byrne listened to a report on what the interrogators had learned from the man so far. One of the agents, Martin, was looking at him suspiciously and the way he held himself reminded Alex of Wolf, his unit leader when he briefly trained with the SAS. The other agent had brown hair and brown eyes, nothing remarkable about him. Except his posture. It was too relaxed for an agent. Certainly too relaxed for the situation they were dealing with at the moment.

Finally, Byrne came back and they headed up to his office once more. The deputy director had been deep in thought the whole way but when the office door closed, he turned to Alex and the two agents again. The other agents who were there for Martin's report had left the office awhile ago to follow up on procedures. "The man claims that there were 4 other Big Circle members on this team that was put together to carry out a large scale operation they were hired for. The park bombing was only a test run. The others are likely already on a plane to get out of the country. The man also said that he had seen Alex discover the bomb he had placed but was too far away to do anything about it without drawing attention. Instead, he has identified Alex to the rest of the Big Circle. We're certain that this is all the information he knows. He seems to be a low ranking member." Byrne paused, as if trying to figure out how he was going to word the next part. "By now, they will know that their operation failed and attribute its failure to you, Alex. From what I've heard, you have already had a run-in with the Chinese triads in the past so it should come as no surprise that they will be seeking revenge on you after today's events. I'm sure you're familiar with the consequences." He gave Alex a long, calculative look and Alex stared back. "You have a few choices, Alex. You could go to the safehouse with the Pleasures. You could participate in this investigation. Or you can go back to England, where MI6 can do more than we can for your protection due to your citizenship status and previous status as their operative."

Alex returned Byrne's calculative gaze from earlier. He supposed he wasn't really surprised that Byrne was offering him a choice. The deputy director had always been as honest as he could with Alex, never blackmailing him. He was also much more human than the heads of MI6. Alex's role as a civilian in America, but an operative in England, probably factored into the proposition as well.

"So, Alex, what is it going to be?"

 **A/N: Football in this chapter is referring to American football. Also, unlike the ending of SR, Scorpia isn't disbanded yet because I find it hard to believe that such a large and powerful organization would have had every operative and board member arrested in the span of about 2 weeks, especially when their location hadn't been known. The organization may be the laughingstock of the criminal world by the end of SR, but they aren't ones to give up easily and are extremely vindictive so I think they'd still be fully operational.**


	3. Another Mission?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

The day's weather was mirroring his mood - gray and rainy. Alex sat in the armored vehicle he had been led to after landing at Heathrow airport, watching each tiny droplet of water roll down the window pane until they disappeared from his sight. The droplets would rush down until they met a larger droplet, faltering as the merged droplets slowly ran down until it became too heavy, and picked up the pace again. Only to crash head first into the ground below. That alternation of pace was his life and he wondered if it would always be like this. As he stared out the window, he thought over the last three days. It had started out calmly, and slowly, enough with the party he and the Pleasures attended. Then, the pace of events had rushed by as he discovered the bomb and his life with MI6 had caught up with him. After that, the proposition that Byrne offered him was an easy decision to make. He had already put the Pleasures in enough danger as it was. They didn't need him in the safehouse, painting an even larger target on their backs. That left joining the investigation or going back to MI6. He had to admit that he was curious and wanted to find out more about the park bombing but he didn't want to go back to the espionage world. So without hesitation, he had told Byrne that he'd go back to England. Even though there was a high chance of MI6 making him work for them again, especially since he was asking for protection, it was better than putting the Pleasures in more danger or willingly working for another intelligence agency. After making the decision, there were hurried goodbyes to the Pleasures. Edward tried to make him promise that he wouldn't go back to the intelligence world. He promised he would try but that there was no guarantee. He might be finished with the intelligence world but that world might not be finished with him. Liz had pulled him into a hug, telling him to be careful and that they would always be there for him, no matter what. Sabina had looked at him sadly, told him not to do anything stupid, and then given him a short kiss while her parents weren't looking. For security purposes, he and the Pleasures were not allowed to know the details of each other's living arrangements.

Shortly after the goodbyes, early evening had arrived and he was on a flight back to England. It was an 11 hour flight and he would arrive at around noon, London time. During the long flight, he pondered the recent attacks. Something Byrne had said was bothering him. Byrne had assumed that both the Scorpia operative and the triad member were low level agents. But how would the Scorpia operative know to attack during the park bombing then? Because those two couldn't be coincidences. He couldn't figure it out but noticing the time, he made himself get as much sleep as he could. There was no telling what the next day would bring and when he would be able to get a decent night's sleep again. For all he knew, he could be halfway across the globe in another third world country again by tomorrow.

When the plane had landed, he woke up, gathered his duffel bag, and followed the other passengers out. He had spotted the agents waiting for him almost at once but as he had headed over towards them, a pair of men getting off another plane caught his attention. He recognized those men as the Scorpia agents who had been involved in the shooting at his school, Brookland Comprehensive, that prompted his mission in Cairo. Alarmed, he started to change direction in order to follow them but the agents had met him halfway and the brief distraction made him lose sight of the men. He hadn't thought about the shooting in awhile. In fact, he had been so hollowed out after Jack's death that he hadn't even said goodbye to his best friend, Tom Harris, when he moved to America. Startled by this revelation, he went over his memories from the time of the shooting to the day Edward Pleasure had come back to England for him. It was only after this reflection that he realized something about the shooting didn't add up. It made sense if Scorpia was behind the shooting. And now that he had seen the men in England, he was reminded that Tom would need protection. The rest of Brookland were probably safe since he wasn't close enough with any of the people there. He would make sure it was a part of his meeting with Blunt and Jones. Although, if it was Scorpia, wouldn't Razim have mentioned it at his compound in Cairo? After all, he had been interested in emotional pain. That was why he had lost Jack. He hadn't mentioned it though, which led Alex to believe that Scorpia wasn't behind the attack. He had his suspicions but he would have to confirm it.

Finally, Alex was roused from his thoughts as the car stopped in front of the Royal and General Bank on Liverpool Street. He got out of the car and headed towards the entrance with his duffel bag, avoiding the dark patch on the sidewalk where he had been shot. Entering the familiar lobby, he walked across the brown marble floor to ask the receptionist for Alan Blunt. She must've already had orders about him because the receptionist didn't bother denying Blunt's existence at the bank but gestured for him to sit on the leather sofa. A few minutes later, Mrs. Jones came out of one of the three elevators to the side of the receptionist's desk, wearing her usual dark suit with the scent of peppermint lingering in the air around her.

"Alex. Did you have a good flight?" Mrs. Jones greeted him. He stood up to follow her into the elevator but said nothing, letting his presence and rumpled clothes answer. Alex could feel Mrs. Jones' black bead-like eyes studying him while she frowned at his lack of response. Mrs. Jones could see that Alex had almost returned to his old self - to how he was before Cairo - but she doubted that he would ever really be the same again. Another thing she noticed was that Alex had an inner calm about him. He had always been mature for his age. But now, he had a quiet confidence and his maturity level was beyond any teenager's. She felt a twinge of regret as she thought of the role she had played in causing him to grow up so fast. Finally, they got out of the elevator when they reached the sixteenth floor and continued down the hallway to a door marked 1605. When they went in, Mrs. Jones headed over to the leather chair beside the wooden desk and Alex sat down in the single empty office chair facing the heads of MI6. Blunt was wearing his usual gray suit with gray hair and a gray face that had forgotten how to smile a long time ago. He was reading a report and seemed to have not noticed that they had come into the room. But that was typical of Blunt.

Finally, Blunt looked up. "Agent Rider. I didn't expect to see you again." Immediately, warning bells were going off in Alex's mind and he was on guard. He had never felt like an agent and the heads of MI6 had never referred to him by that title before. No one did. Sure, there was that one time that Blunt had made his preference of not having his agents doing extreme sports clear after the triads had sent someone to kill Alex as he was surfing the Cribber. But they generally avoided calling him an agent so directly. He was treated like an agent whenever it suited their needs and treated as a child the rest of the time. The heads were up to something.

"I'm not an agent," Alex replied calmly. Mrs. Jones seemed to be pleased at his answer. Interesting. The heads had never presented anything less than a united front unless it was a part of their manipulation. This didn't seem to be the case right now though. Otherwise, Mrs. Jones would have maintained her expressionless face. Maybe only one of the heads were up to something then.

Blunt ignored his response and continued. "It's just as well that your situation has come up. What do you know about the drug called monosuncane? You might be more familiar with its street name - sun rock."

"Only that it looks like a gold colored crystal," Alex said with a shrug. He didn't like where this was going.

Mrs. Jones took over, giving Alex a brief overview of the drug. "Monosuncane is a new stimulant drug mostly being marketed towards teenagers and university students as something that will help them beat the increased competition in getting into top schools by increasing energy, focus, and mental alertness with feelings of exhilaration. Much like cocaine and methamphetamine but without the nasal damage and dental problems. It's also much more addictive than any other drug we've seen."

"We have reason to believe that the drug originated from Mexico, the Sinaloa cartel in particular, and that they are using teenagers as their primary carriers who make their way to the United States and Europe. You've made it clear what your position is on drugs with that Skoda incident so I'm sure you'll find this worth your time. While we negotiate with Scorpia and the triads to leave you alone, we want you to find a way in as one of their carriers. All you have to do is follow the cartel's instructions to make your way through the pipeline and back here to report on the people and the channels they use to transport the drugs. All the better if you can find out how it's being produced," Blunt went on. "A search and report mission."

"No," Alex responded. "I won't do it. You can find somebody else. Besides, you have nothing to blackmail me with anymore," he finished bitterly.

"Well, that's unfortunate." Blunt's tone and lack of expression hadn't changed but there was something about him that made Alex think that the human part had just flushed away in that instant. Just like the briefing for his first mission. "Since you are no longer our operative and you refuse to go undercover in Mexico as a part of your protection, I'm afraid there's not much we could do to shield you from Scorpia and the triads. Of course, there were 19,000 members last time the triads were after you. Since then, their numbers have increased to 25,000 and all of them will be after your blood. You won't be safe anywhere."

Alex had already known Blunt would say something like this. It had happened before when he asked for help with the reporter. However, he was ready for it this time. Thanks to Byrne's words in Cairo, the proposition in San Francisco, and the reflection he'd done in the car, he had an idea. It was a gamble but it would be worth it just to see their reactions even if he was wrong. "I saw the sniper and pilot from the shooting at Brookland when I got off the plane today. Shortly after the shooting, I also heard that you were going into forced retirement. Those wouldn't happen to be connected now, would they?" Alex casually asked. Blunt seemed to shift uncomfortably in his chair so Alex went on. "With Mr. Byrne offering me a place on the park bombing investigation and the Australians offering me a permanent visa after I worked for them last time, it looks like I have other options. With these choices, you can't manipulate me anymore, Mr. Blunt. We wouldn't want another Ash, would we?" Both of the heads flinched imperceptibly at the mention of his godfather, who had turned into a double agent for Scorpia after the horrible treatment Blunt had given him. Because of this, Ash had betrayed Alex when he worked with ASIS, the Australian secret service. Alex didn't like bringing up his godfather but it was the best he had for driving home the point that treating him badly would not end well for them. The heads could see that Alex had changed, even in the short time he had spent in Blunt's office today. Earlier, he had been his usual self when dealing with a mission briefing, reluctant and naïve until after they had manipulated him to where they wanted him to be. Never before had he turned their game against them like he did now with his barely veiled threats. Alex was nowhere near as ruthless of an agent as they were but it seemed he was headed down that path. After his mission in Cairo, the heads had thought it was a possibility that Alex had killed the part of himself that they had created when he shot Julius in cold blood. Now, they were certain that the part they created had survived. Which meant some other part of Alex had died that day. The heads were afraid to find out exactly which part.

Mrs. Jones had been unusually quiet so far but, unwrapping a peppermint, she spoke up now. "The sniper at Brookland was not from Scorpia. I had my suspicions as well and did some investigating." Blunt tensed up and glared, silently willing her to shut up. "He deserves to know, Alan," she retorted. Turning back to Alex, she added, "Alan's forced retirement isn't connected to the shooting though. The new prime minister insisted on the retirement and that you were not to be used again after he found out about your involvement with us during the incident with Desmond McCain."

There was a moment's silence. Then suddenly, Blunt's gray eyes looked very tired and resigned. "Yes, I recruited the sniper and helicopter pilot. I thought I was doing the right thing. That using you was what was best for the country. I still believe that using you was the best thing for the country. You have saved this country several times along with many others. But I also know it turned out that I was wrong about Cairo and Scorpia had tricked me."

Alex was impressed. The heads of MI6 never admitted when they were wrong. It must have taken a lot of courage to admit it now. At the same time, he said disgustedly, "And you still expect me to work for you after that? You endangered my friends and then knowingly sent me to go up against the most dangerous criminal organization for the third time without telling me it was Scorpia."

Blunt sighed heavily. "No, not now that you know about it. I hope you will at least consider - "

"No," Mrs. Jones interrupted. "Alex has done enough this past year. Alan, this is your last week as head of MI6 anyways. After you leave, I'd just make sure that Alex is pulled out of the mission if you force him into it." Turning to Alex once more, she said, "Of course, if you want to take the mission, you can. It's your choice. If you don't, we'll still negotiate with Scorpia and the triads to leave you alone but we'll send you to a safehouse in Berlin with an agent until the negotiations are finished. Joe Byrne was right when he said we could protect you better due to your status. This way, we have more legal power to back us up in the negotiations."

"I'll go to the safehouse," Alex decided, "but I have another request. With two criminal organizations after me, I'd like my friend, Tom, to have some protection."

"Of course," Mrs. Jones said. "I'll arrange for an agent to watch your friend."

Alex nodded in satisfaction before asking, "Who's the agent I'll be staying with?"

Mrs. Jones smiled and said, "You'll see." Alex wasn't sure if he should be comforted by this or alarmed. The smile that was meant to be reassuring looked strange on her face and the vague answer wouldn't bode well if his past experiences with the heads of MI6 were anything to go by. Blunt, for his part, had recognized that his role was over in this meeting and had gone back to ignoring them and reading the report. "You should go see Mr. Smithers by the way. He'll give you what you need for the trip, just in case anything goes wrong." With his luck, that was a very likely possibility but Alex brightened considerably at this anyways. Smithers was probably the only true friend he had within MI6 and had never let him down.

Alex made his way to Smithers' office on the eleventh floor. He had only been there once before and had thought it to be too boring and anonymous at the time for the gadget master of MI6. Until Smithers had shown him all the technology he had built into the ordinary looking objects in the large, square room. Even the painting on the wall had been a plasma television screen that beamed real time satellite pictures of places around the world. Alex knocked on the door and saw Smithers sitting behind the desk and typing something into the computer. The gadget master had his fat suit on again. The last time Alex had seen Smithers, it had been revealed that he always wore a fat suit so that no one would know to look for Smithers as a thin, wiry Irishman in his late thirties with short brown hair and blue eyes if he was ever pursued by enemies.

"Alex, my dear boy! Good to see you. Come in! Door!" The door swung shut behind Alex, having been voice activated. Alex went to take a seat in the leather chair opposite from the gadget master. "I hear you're in trouble with the triads again. Nasty people, I must say. Now, Mrs. Jones says you're to go to Berlin. A vacation of sorts while we sort out your situation. I'm told to give you some things for this trip." Smithers pulled open a drawer and took out an iPhone, sliding it towards Alex. "This will work anywhere in the world, even underwater and in space. It gives you a direct link with this office."

"Does it do anything else?" Alex asked curiously. The last phone Smithers had given him could record and duplicate fingerprints but Alex didn't see how that would help him this time.

"Quite a few things actually. It's amazing how many things we can fit in by using the apps! I'm still working on putting more gadgets into these! Anyways, put the phone upside down and you can use iMovie to jam security cameras as well as access the x-ray machine with sound amplifier which will work through 10 inches of solid walls. Do the same thing with iTunes and you have a bug finder and listening device that will pick up and record conversations for up to 15 yards, including tapping into phone conversations. Now, if you use Find My iPhone, all you need to do is keep the app open for 3 minutes and the phone will emit a tracking signal for us to follow for 24 hours. So make sure to keep the phone on you if you can! Wouldn't want to be tracking some other poor fellow! Also, Mrs. Jones said you're not to have any weapons but I've put in some tranquilizer darts for you. All you have to do is dial 999 with the top of the phone aimed at your target. Since you always seem to need them, you have 3 darts in the phone but you can refill it." Smithers reached into his drawer again and slid over 5 more darts. Alex nodded and pocketed them with the phone while the gadget master spoke into his potted plant for his assistant to bring something else up. After the seats of the leather sofa had split apart to allow the assistant to be brought up, Alex could see that there was a bottle and some clothes.

"Thank you, Miss Pickering," Smithers said and waited for her to descend back into the office she came from before continuing. "Since we're trying to help you evade assassination attempts, here is a bottle of shampoo to help you change your look a bit. It will turn your distinctive fair hair into a dark brown and the color won't wash out unless you use one of my special conditioners. It's not much of a disguise, I'll admit, but at least you won't be recognizable from a mile away! I'll give you the conditioner when you come back to England. Next, I've been working on a line of bulletproof clothes for you. So, here is a jersey, a t-shirt, a windbreaker, and a hoodie. That's all I have for you for now, old chap!"

"Thanks, Mr. Smithers!" Alex said.

"My pleasure! It's always fun to develop things for you. Just try to stay out of trouble! I'd be terribly sorry if anything happened to you!" With those parting words, Alex left the office only to find himself facing someone quite familiar.

 **A/N: I know that Blunt retired at the end of SR but I had him stick around for just a little bit longer** **for a last interaction with Alex** **. Smithers also left MI6 in Never Say Die but I can't imagine MI6 without him so he's still around. Also, the monosuncane drug is completely made up. I apologize for any descriptions of drug or drug use that is not accurate.**


	4. Trouble Magnet

**A/N: Italics are words spoken in another language.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

"Fox!" Alex exclaimed.

The black-haired man with a slightly boyish face and Liverpudlian accent grinned at him while carrying a duffel bag. "Cub! Heard you're going to Germany for a little vacation."

"Are you the agent Mrs. Jones is sending in with me?" Fox nodded and Alex breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that he would be stuck with someone like John Crawley, the dull head of personnel for MI6 with a face that you forgot even while looking at it. Or worse, some arrogant and condescending agent who had no idea who he was or what he could do. Fox was someone he could work with though. Alex had met the man at Brecon Beacons when he had been assigned to K-unit during his brief stint of training with the SAS. There were four men in the unit and each were given a codename - Wolf, Fox, Eagle, and Snake. He was Cub. While Fox had generally ignored Alex during training, they had worked well together later in northern Australia after Fox had been seconded to MI6. He had even learned that Fox's real name was Ben Daniels. During the mission, Ben had been concerned about his inclusion because of his age and inexperience but had treated him as an equal when it came down to it. "Any idea why we're going to Germany in particular?"

"It's the closest safehouse that we know is in a relatively secure area. The other safehouses we have close to England are in countries with known MI6 agents undercover," Ben explained as they made their way to the elevator. "Anyways, looks like we'll be spending some time together again. Two weeks."

"How's your bullet wound, Ben?" Alex asked. The man had been shot in the stomach when he had insisted on going in alone to clear the room for Alex the last time they had met. "I heard you were in a hospital in Darwin."

"I've healed without any complications but I've still got a scar. This better not end the same way as last time," Ben joked.

"No guarantees," Alex said dryly. "I do have two criminal organizations after me."

"Well, we're going into Germany as two brothers on vacation so that should help our chances. My identity for this will be Luke Parker, an average car salesman. You will be Thomas Parker, a secondary school student and my younger brother." Ben paused. "We leave in an hour so I hope you have most of your stuff with you already. Do you need to pack anything?" Alex shook his head and gestured at the duffel bag he had brought with him when he left the United States. He hadn't had time to unpack anything since he arrived in England and he had already put the stuff Smithers had given him into the duffel bag. "Alright, let's use Smithers' shampoo to dye our hair and then we can head over to Heathrow."

Three hours later, they landed in Schönefeld airport, exchanged their British pound for the euro, and boarded an express train to the Mitte district, Berlin's city centre. When they got off at their stop, there was a cool evening breeze, many buskers performing, and people enjoying their dinner on the outdoor restaurant patios as they made their way to their safehouse - a small flat on one of the backstreets. The flat was as lacking in personality as any intelligence agency's offices. It was all ordinary furniture and gray walls with the occasional abstract painting. After checking for bugs with Smithers' iPhone and searching the flat thoroughly, they found a pantry full of canned food, a freezer of frozen meals, some extra sets of clothes of various sizes, a fully stocked first aid kit, and several hidden weapons. Ben took a Sig Sauer P226 and some extra rounds for it before putting them in his hip holster. Alex tried to take one as well but Ben shook his head and stopped him.

"Sorry, Alex. Heads' orders. You're not to have any weapons," Ben said apologetically. Alex clenched his jaw in frustration but nodded. Even though he had expected this, it didn't make it any easier. He wanted to be able to defend himself if anything went wrong. At least he had the tranquilizer darts, Alex thought.

They placed the weapons back in their original spots and turned towards the frozen meals. By unspoken agreement, the two had decided to stay in for the night since it had been a long day for both of them. They would have to make do with the preserved food provided. Ben studied Alex as they ate. He could see the haunted look in Alex's eyes that hadn't been as prominent the last time they had met and couldn't help wondering what had happened to cause it.

Finally, Alex became too annoyed of having Ben stare at him. As he was curious about his former unit mate's status, he asked as a distraction, "Are you still with the SAS?"

Ben blinked, startled at the sudden question. "No, I switched over to MI6 after working with you last time," he admitted. "Even though I got shot, that oil rig in the Timor Sea was quite an adventure. If you weren't out of the field, I'd be hoping for the heads to let us work together again."

Outwardly, Alex ignored the man's sentiments. As it was a testament to his skill and character, he was pleased that someone wanted to work with him again. Especially when that someone had previously thought nothing of him. It was hard to find someone in this field who treated him like an equal as Ben had. But Alex didn't know how he felt about going back into that life. Obviously, he didn't enjoy the situations he often found himself in when he was on missions. Even today, he had refused to go back into the field. He wasn't an agent or a soldier. Although, after the last two months with the Pleasures, neither could he deny that he didn't belong with civilians anymore. But it was late and he didn't want to think about this right now so he asked, "Is K-unit still together?"

Ben grinned. "Yeah, we all made it through selection. Surprising, since there's a 90% fail rate. Afterwards, we all had separate missions but it was decided after a few months that we would continue being a unit since we worked so well together. Until I left that is. I still get together with them from time to time and they've got a new member in the unit. They sometimes wonder what happened to you after you left training." Alex frowned at this. He didn't want K-unit to know about the extent of his missions. A lot of them were personal to some degree. Ben seemed to know what he was thinking because he said, "I haven't told them anything of course. Not that I know much myself."

"What exactly do you know?" Alex asked curiously. He was going to be spending quite a bit of time with the man so he might as well figure out what the perceptions of him were.

"Only that you sometimes helped out MI6 and have an impressive 100% success rate. No details though. After that, I was told that you were out of the field and moved to America. Except now, you're back for protection from Scorpia and the triads."

Alex had unconsciously tensed up sometime during Ben's reply but relaxed and nodded by the end of it. "That's all you need to know. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say and I would rather not go into detail about some things."

Ben gave him an understanding smile and said, "Fair enough. I'll probably ask some questions and you can choose whether to answer them. Same goes for me if you want to ask questions about myself." With that matter settled, the two retired to their rooms for the night so they could sleep off the exhaustion of the past day.

With the exception of Alex speaking in German whenever he could - a habit left over from when his uncle, Ian, had taken him traveling and insisted that they speak in the language of whatever place they were visiting - Ben and Alex acted as the tourists on vacation that they were supposed to be over the next two weeks. Waking up at 6 every morning, they started with the east side of the city and slowly worked their way across to the west, cycling everywhere they went. A lot of the places they visited, such as the East Side Gallery and Berlin Wall Memorial, gave insight into the events of World War II and Alex found it educational like most other people who visited these places. However, unlike most people, he realized he could identify with some of the things the victims and soldiers of the war experienced. Things like constantly fearing the sound or feel of a gunshot when he's been discovered, the determination to get out alive from an impossible situation, and a true understanding of the horrors that the human race is capable of committing. Even after visiting the Topography of Terror, he could still empathize with the soldiers because he knew what it was like to cause death and suffering in the line of duty, just as he knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of it. Of course, he also knew that the soldiers had acted with a different mindset than Alex had so he also felt anger towards them at the same time. It was an understanding that he hadn't had when Ian had taken him to Germany on holidays as a young child.

Interspersed between their visits to historical sites of war, they did some other sightseeing and outdoor activities to enjoy the relatively good weather they were having. It was refreshing to admire the Socialist architecture on Karl-Marx-Allee, see the landmarks of the city on Unter den Linden Boulevard among the linden trees, view the rest of the city from the top of the Berlin Victory Column, walk through the flea markets, and hike through Grunewalde Forest. Alex had even gone surfing in the Spree and taken a few lessons in sailing from a local surfer he met. Ben had given him an odd look when he wore a wetsuit for these to hide the scars on his body but Alex ignored the man's silent question. During these lighthearted excursions, Ben and Alex learned more about each other. So far, Alex had gathered that Ben came from a family of four with one younger sister, Sophia, but he hadn't seen them in awhile because of missions. One of his most recent missions had been partnered with K-unit in Iran. A diplomat's daughter had been kidnapped and they were to rescue her. In return, Alex told Ben that he had started working for MI6 after his uncle died and the number of missions he had been on. There were questions they asked each other about missions but Alex had kept almost all of those details to himself even though Ben had been as open about his missions as he could without breaking the Official Secrets Act. Other than their backgrounds, they discovered more about each other's habits and personalities. Like how Ben needed his coffee in the morning before he returned to his normal, easygoing self. Or how Alex had a dry and sarcastic sense of humour that had the potential to offend the people around him. Also, both of them could be very competitive people, which they realized the extent of when they went to the obstacle course in the Jungfernheide High Rope Forest Garden. Running the course reminded them of, but had nothing on, the training at Brecon Beacons so they finished it in record time. The staff and patrons alike had stared at them with slack jaws.

In addition to the tourist activities they were doing, Alex had taken up learning Russian every morning for two hours after breakfast from a World War II veteran they had run into while they were at the East Side Gallery, one of the first places they had visited. He had seen the man in his peripheral vision, staring at him confusedly and muttering to himself in Russian, so he had asked if he could help the man. The Russian was surprised and had declined the offer but introduced himself as Vadim Ivanov, a veteran visiting the gallery as a daily reminder to himself of the war. Curious as always, Alex asked what he had been muttering before. Vadim had given him a sad smile at the time and said that he recognized a fellow soldier when he saw one even if they were too young for it - it was in the eyes. After that, the old veteran had offered Alex a listening ear if he ever needed one and Russian lessons since he seemed interested. Without quite knowing why, Alex had immediately accepted the Russian lessons and they began the next morning.

It was after one of these Russian lessons, during the second week of their stay, that a glint of gold caught Alex's attention on his way back to the safehouse. On another day, Alex may have dismissed it but the weather had turned wet and gloomy in the last two days so the gold stood out more than it should have. Across the busy street in an abandoned alleyway, he could see three teenage boys. Two of them had darker skin and looked ragged from long travels - one had a gold tooth and the other had a pockmarked face. He decided to call them Gold Tooth and Pox. They passed the gold package to the last teen who was in a school uniform. Money was exchanged and the schoolboy left. As soon as Alex had seen the gold package, he knew it was the drug that Blunt had wanted him to investigate - monosuncane. Intrigued, Alex followed the two teens at a distance as they made their way towards one of the less savory parts of the city. The two ragged teens had begun talking as soon as their customer was out of earshot so Alex took out the iPhone that Smithers had given him and turned it upside down, plugging in his earphones and tapping on the iTunes app. He had already missed what Pox said but managed to catch the end of Gold Tooth's reply.

 _" - recibir el envío de esta noche en el Spree,"_ Gold Tooth growled.

 _"Pero… quiero regresar al México, a la casa mía,"_ Pox complained.

Gold Tooth glared at his companion. _"Si hablas una palabra más, te estrangularé mientras duermes."_ With that, Pox promptly shut up and the rest of the walk was spent in silence. Finally, they reached a small, dingy motel. As the two teens were going in, a drunk man passed out near them and a flailing arm had hit Pox on his back. Pox swore and turned around to beat up the drunkard but Gold Tooth took Pox's shoulders and shoved him through the motel doors. For a moment, Gold Tooth looked back across the street and narrowed his eyes but quickly followed Pox inside.

As Alex walked back to the safehouse, he thought about what he had just seen and heard. As much as he hated drugs, this was none of his business so he decided that he would just pass along the information to MI6. Walking through the front door of the safehouse, he was met with Ben's tense posture.

"You were supposed to be back half an hour ago. Where were you?" Ben questioned while crossing his arms.

"I ran into a drug deal that Blunt had wanted me to look into instead of being on vacation here," Alex replied sheepishly.

"…You're on vacation. How do you manage to just run into a drug deal you were supposed to investigate?" Ben said disbelievingly.

Alex shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I overheard them talking and there's a shipment coming in tonight on the Spree."

Ben shook his head in mild amusement and disbelief while walking away. "Alright, you little trouble magnet. I'll notify the heads about it." Alex smiled to himself. Most people wouldn't have believed him enough to take any action. They would've argued and dismissed him. Ten minutes later, Ben came back to find Alex drinking some water in the kitchen. "Jones wants us back in England. Says she's sending someone to look into it and doesn't want you anywhere near potential danger. Our flight is in two hours." Alex nodded and they started packing up.

An hour later, they were making their way back to Schönefeld airport. It was as they were boarding the express train that Alex felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. It was still raining so Alex had put up his hood on the bulletproof windbreaker that Smithers had given him. He knew he was protected enough with it but he still threw himself down on the ground while calling out to Ben.

"Get down!" Most of the people around them were confused and slow to react but Ben had followed Alex's example even though he didn't know the reason behind the order. A moment later, Ben cried out in pain as the bullet that had just missed them, ricocheted off the train, and grazed his arm. Alex pulled Ben into the train as the door was closing and pulled out a shirt from his duffel bag to use as a makeshift bandage. The last thing Alex saw at the station before the train pulled away was a couple of agents taking down the lone Chinese gunman, the same person that the CIA were supposed to have in custody from the park bombing.

 **A/N: Sorry if the descriptions of Berlin are wrong or the Spanish has incorrect grammar! The Spanish conversation translated to English is:**

 **" - receive tonight's shipment on the Spree."**

 **"But… I want to return to Mexico, to my house."**

 **"If you say another word, I'll strangle you in your sleep."**


	5. Information Exchange

**A/N: Thank you to those of you who have favorited, followed, or reviewed so far! It puts a smile on my face every time I see a response.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

"I'm so sorry," Alex said guiltily while using the shirt to bandage the older man's arm. "That's twice now you've taken a bullet for me."

"It's fine. Probably needs stitches but it's not that bad," Ben replied. "How did you know what was going to happen anyways? I knew something was off and tried to get us out of the open but I didn't sense the gunman."

"Instinct." Ben raised an eyebrow at this so Alex continued reluctantly, "I've been shot before."

Ben frowned at this but remained silent and alert for the rest of their train ride and flight back to London, as did Alex. They were both lost in thought, one realizing the horrifying implications of his young charge's statement while the other contemplated their current situation and mentally prepared himself to face Mrs. Jones again. At least Blunt would have already retired by now so he wouldn't have to see him again. When they reached Heathrow airport, there were agents waiting for them again to escort them back to the Royal & General Bank. Making their way to room 1605, Ben knocked on the door before entering upon Mrs. Jones' response. Very little about the office had changed since Mrs. Jones had taken over from Blunt. It was the same furniture arranged in the same way. The only difference was the bowl of peppermints now on the desk.

"Agent Daniels," Mrs. Jones said with an expressionless nod in Ben's direction. Then, she focused on the 15 year old before her with evident concern in her eyes. "Alex, I don't know what to say. First, you run into the mission that I tried to keep you away from. Next, I hear from Joe Byrne about the attack at the train station! You were supposed to be safe. Away from anyone we were investigating. Frankly, I'm not sure where to put you now." She paused, weighing her next words, and unwrapped a peppermint. "The negotiations are far from over. Scorpia have agreed to our terms but are adamant that they have nothing to do with the attack on the Pleasures' home. They're either lying and are working on something else behind the scenes or they really do have a rogue operative. It didn't help that rumours circulated through the entire intelligence community that you had quit field work so were under no protection while you were in America. Of course, it was true but they remain rumours because we've denied everything about your time with us. There's nothing more we can do about Scorpia except assign protection detail to you." She paused for a breath. "The triads have been more difficult to negotiate with this time. The usual methods and incentives haven't worked. It's almost as if whoever hired them for the park bombing in San Francisco has direct control over them in regards to this matter."

"Who would have the power to control the triads?" Alex asked.

"We're not sure. But maybe Joe will be able to give us an idea since the Americans are already investigating the park bombing and the triads. I had just answered a secure video call from Joe but put him on hold when you walked in. Would you like to hear what he has to say?" Mrs. Jones offered.

"Yes," Alex said simply. To him, there was no question as to whether he wanted to hear the information.

"Alright," Mrs. Jones resignedly agreed. She didn't want to manipulate him anymore so she had given him a choice but hoped that he would refuse. For his own sake. Pushing a button on her computer, she turned the screen so they could all see Byrne's dark and tired face.

"Alex, I'm glad to see you've made it to London!" Byrne exclaimed with relief. "My agents had reported you as the target after they took down the gunman and cuffed him. Thankfully, there were no casualties."

"Must've been quite the surprise to find out the triad you had in custody had a twin," Alex sarcastically replied without thinking. He was pleased that no one else had suffered from the attack but frustrated that the triad had clearly escaped the CIA the first time around.

Ben widened his eyes and stared at Alex's bold response while Mrs. Jones and Byrne only coughed - one in mild amusement, the other in a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. "Yes, well, he escaped while we were transporting him to another location. The agents responsible for this oversight have been demoted and sent back to training. Frankly, I suspect a mole." Everyone in the office was surprised at this revelation. Not because of the idea presented but because of the CIA director's willingness to admit his suspicions to another intelligence agency. "But that's not why I made this call."

He took a deep breath before saying, "The Pleasures were attacked two days ago." Alex's heart stopped and he couldn't breathe. Sensing this, Byrne hastily added, "They're fine. Just a little shaken up. They've also been moved to another location since then." With that, Alex let out a deep sigh of relief, closing his eyes for a moment while the director continued on. "We didn't manage to capture anyone but the triads left a message. It said the Pleasures were going to be their main target if you didn't give yourself up by tomorrow on Albert Bridge just before midnight." Byrne paused on seeing Mrs. Jones and Alex stiffen at the location given but was forced to ignore it for now as the new head of MI6 waved a hand for him to continue. "I'll let Mrs. Jones handle that situation but I hope neither of you are thinking of sending someone, or sending Alex, to meet with them. The other reason I called is that we weren't aware that Alex was in Berlin when our agents followed a lead on the park bombing to the capital. We've determined the next bombing to be sometime tonight at Unter den Linden Boulevard and have a plan to counteract it. The agents caught up to the escaped triad at the train station purely by chance. That was when we realized Alex was there. Mrs. Jones, is there anything I should know about the situation? Because we both know that if Alex is involved, then it changes everything."

Mrs. Jones studied Byrne and the other occupants of the room for a long while before coming to a decision. "Joe, I assume you are aware of the monosuncane situation?" Byrne nodded so the head of MI6 continued. "Before he retired, Alan wanted Alex to go undercover among the Sinaloa cartel to find out more about the drug while we negotiated with Scorpia and the triads." Byrne grimaced at this, disagreeing with the method but knew it was the way Blunt operated. Gesturing to Ben, Jones said, "I sent Alex with Agent Daniels to Germany for a vacation instead. The agent we ended up sending on the mission was killed shortly after he arrived at his destination in Mexico. This morning, Alex ran into a monosuncane deal and overheard them talking about a shipment coming in tonight on the Spree. As soon as I heard about it, I ordered their return to England and an agent has been sent over to Berlin to look into it." Looking at Alex, she suggested, "Why don't you describe everything you saw and heard, starting from when you first noticed the drug?"

So Alex recounted everything from walking down the street to the moment when Gold Tooth had followed Pox into the motel. The only thing he left out was the Russian lessons before the encounter, replacing it with an early morning jog as the reason he was on the streets without Ben instead. He wasn't sure why but he wanted to keep that to himself and he ignored the frown Ben had upon hearing this. During his retelling, the three adults had been amused at his nicknames for the drug dealers but chose not to comment. Instead, they focused on more important details, such as the exact wording and actions of the dealers.

After they finished going over every aspect of the incident, Byrne muttered, "The timing of the shipment and the bombing can't be a coincidence," and everyone in Mrs. Jones' office nodded. "But how are they connected?"

"Our guess is as good as yours," Mrs. Jones responded dryly. "I was rather hoping you might have information on who hired the triads."

Byrne shook his head, "No such luck. The triads we've had in custody aren't talking and there haven't been any leads as to who hired them."

"Bait them," Alex suddenly interjected. Everyone looked at him in surprise and he had a sinking feeling in his chest. He had gone over everything he now knew about their predicament and the resulting suspicions indicated a worse situation than everyone was currently assuming. The partially formed plan in his mind would require him to be the bait but it was the only chance they had of getting the information they needed. It was the only chance _he_ had of protecting the Pleasures. And they were running on limited time.

"How?" Byrne asked warily. The CIA director didn't doubt Alex's ability to come up with a good plan and a solid argument for it. What he was worried about was the plan putting the boy in more danger than he was already in.

"Keep to whatever plan the two of you had for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll go to Albert Bridge," Alex said, confirming Byrne's concerns.

"No," Mrs. Jones refused. "I ordered you to stay away from this business. I'm not about to let you walk right back into it. Besides, we'll have more information by the end of tonight."

"Even with the information tonight, you might not find the connection before it's too late," Alex argued. "Especially when it's not just those two that are connected. I know you have the same suspicions there as I have, Mrs. Jones."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, finally joining in on the debate. Byrne looked at Alex and Mrs. Jones expectantly, wanting to hear the answer to that as well. Silently daring her to deny his statement, Alex looked hard at the woman.

Mrs. Jones sighed and unwrapped another peppermint. "The fact that Albert Bridge was the chosen location for Alex indicates that Scorpia is involved as well. The organization might have been weakened recently and their reputation has taken a major hit, thanks to Alex, but we all know that they are still the most capable and powerful criminal organization out there. If Scorpia is involved, then this is a much larger scale operation than we previously thought and the chances are that we're running out of time."

"What's the importance of Albert Bridge?" Ben asked, narrowing his eyes. He had thought that the only time Alex had had any contact with Scorpia was the mission with him in Australia. This told him otherwise and it made him furious that the boy had been put into so much danger.

"Classified," Mrs. Jones answered impassively so Ben let out a sigh of frustration. "And Alex, you're still not going."

Looking at Mrs. Jones the whole time, Alex explained his plan in a hard and determined voice. "We all agree that the drugs and the bombing are connected. If we're to find out how, then we need to get inside. The triads have already demanded that I give myself up to them. They won't suspect that I'm there for information. Mrs. Jones, you said that they were resistant to your negotiations and it felt like they were being controlled by someone else. If this is true, then when I go to Albert Bridge to meet them, they might bring me to whoever hired them. The iPhone that Mr. Smithers gave me will let you trace my location and I'll wear the bulletproof clothes too."

Both Byrne and Ben looked impressed with his insistence on going through with the plan. It was a good one but neither wanted him to be placed in danger. Mrs. Jones didn't either and asked, "Why? I gave you a way out and tried to keep you out. You don't have to do this so why are you choosing to go back into the field?"

"I just want to protect the Pleasures," Alex simply answered. "They've done so much for me but now, I'm the reason they're in danger. I don't want them to end up the same way as Jack," he finished quietly. Having already known the reason for Alex's move to America, Byrne looked at the boy in sorrow. The teen should never have gone through any of this. Meanwhile, Ben was only just piecing together a small part of Alex's past from this conversation and felt a cold fury rise in him in response to the conclusions he had drawn. Still, he kept it in check. He would be of no use to Alex if he was kept out of the operation because he couldn't remain professional.

Mrs. Jones' protest died on her lips and she nodded upon hearing Alex's reason. There was nothing she could say to that so she reluctantly agreed to his plan. "Alright, we'll start organizing for tomorrow's meeting with the triads then. I'll have Smithers hack into that iPhone so we can hear everything going on around you as well. You can put the iPhone in the hidden pocket of the clothes Smithers gave you. No one will be able to access or detect the contents of that pocket but you." Those pockets were common knowledge to MI6 operatives but Mrs. Jones gave the instructions to him because she knew it wasn't something Alex was familiar with. Admittedly, it was their fault that the boy didn't know any of the standards and protocols even though he has worked for them multiple times. They had kept him in the dark about almost everything. Even some crucial information about the missions they sent him on. Now, she turned to Ben and said sharply, "Agent Daniels, you'll coordinate this mission and you are _personally_ responsible for Alex's safety. If he is harmed, you're fired. And get your wound properly bandaged when this meeting ends."

"Yes, ma'am," Ben said while Alex grimaced at Mrs. Jones' orders. Considering his track record, there was a high possibility of him being injured in some way and he didn't want to be the reason that Ben was fired.

"I don't like this but I suppose there isn't much I can do about it," Byrne said. "I'll try to keep my agents' operation from interfering with yours, Mrs. Jones, but I have a feeling Alex will end up meeting with my people anyways. Anything else I need to know?"

"Yes, there is actually. Mr. Byrne - " Alex said.

"Joe," interrupted Byrne. "Please, call me Joe. We've worked together, and I've relied on you, enough times that we shouldn't need to be so formal."

"Alright… Joe," Alex continued, testing out the feel of using the CIA director's given name. "Back in San Francisco, who was the man with Agent Martin when I identified the triad you had in custody?" He wouldn't have brought up a sensitive topic so abruptly, but the Pleasures' lives might depend on it. Technically, he was supposed to be loyal to MI6 and only help another agency when Mrs. Jones had approved it. But he wasn't exactly known for letting politics and bureaucracy like this stop him from doing what he thought was best. He ignored his discomfort at being stuck between the two intelligence agencies.

Byrne was confused as to where this was going but trusted that Alex had a reason for bringing it up. "That was Agent Roberts."

"He was too relaxed."

Dead silence filled the room. Everyone stared at Alex, not quite sure what to make of his response. "… Are you suggesting," Byrne asked slowly, "that he's the mole I've been trying to weed out?"

"Possibly," came the response so he resolved to look into it.

"Thank you, Alex. I have to go deal with tonight's operation now but I imagine I'll see you soon. Try to stay alive." Still reeling from the possible identity of the mole, Byrne ended the call and the occupants of Mrs. Jones' office found themselves suddenly staring at a blank screen.

"Well, you certainly know how to make an impression, Alex. Don't expect to be on a first name basis with me though," Mrs. Jones said dryly. "Go prepare for tomorrow. And I would prefer if you stayed in the building. There are beds and toiletries in the basement floors you can use for tonight."

Alex nodded his acceptance and Ben gave another "Yes, ma'am" before they left the office. As soon as they were out of the door, Ben rounded on him.

"What the hell, Alex?! I don't even know where to start!" Ben exclaimed with wide eyes. Confused, Alex just raised an eyebrow which made the older man pause. "You don't even know what I'm going on about, do you?" He sighed and shook his head in response to Alex shaking his head. "Alright, first, I can't believe you dared to talk back to the head of the CIA, only to be asked to call him by his first name!" Ben said in awe.

Alex just shrugged so Ben decided to move on, thinking about what an unusual kid the teen was. "Second, how in the world did you get Jones to agree to your plan when she was so set against it at first?! I tried to persuade her into one of my suggestions once and all I got was an order out of her office and a pile of paperwork the next day," he moaned.

The corner of Alex's lips twitched in amusement. "I'm as surprised as you are. She's never really cared about what I wanted."

"What were you going to do if she didn't agree?" Ben asked curiously.

"Go anyways. It wouldn't be the first time I've acted on my own."

By now, the ex-SAS man was burning with curiosity but he knew Alex wouldn't answer the questions he had. Over the past week, the boy had only revealed information about himself when asked a direct question. Even then, he gave little detail about his missions. Alex did answer most of Ben's questions about his personal life though. Ben looked at the teen contemplatively. It had only been a little over a year since he had first met the teen at the SAS camp in the Welsh Beacons. That meant Alex had served for about a year. Except he had already been on enough missions to work with another country a few times on top of serving his own. No one did as many high level missions in a year as the boy walking beside him had. While he didn't know the extent of Alex's missions, he knew that if all of them were like the one in Australia, then his former unit mate would need help. He wanted to ask about Jack but, considering the implications of what had been revealed in the meeting, he was afraid of crossing a line with Alex. The earlier concern he felt for the teen was coming back and it didn't seem like it would be going away anytime soon. Finally, Ben stopped studying Alex as they reached one of the basement levels where the small, functional bedrooms were located.

"Well, I've got to organize some people for tomorrow night's operation so I'll leave you here for now," Ben said. "I'll come get you when I've gathered everyone and we can discuss the plan."

Alex nodded and was soon left to his own devices. He looked around the bedroom and saw gray walls, a twin size bed with white and gray sheets, a dark-wooded bedside table with a phone, and a telly. There was also a security camera in one of the corners of the room. Any other teen would have found the security camera in the bedroom to be creepy but Alex just took it in stride. He was, after all, in the building of an intelligence agency. Walking over to the telly, he turned it on and found that it only had news channels. With nothing better to do, he left it on and laid on the bed, listening to the newsman. After the long day he had had, he soon found himself slowly falling asleep to announcements of another new prime minister being voted in and western countries accepting more immigrants in response to the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Even while he was in America, he had kept up with news in England so he wasn't surprised that another prime minister was in power so soon after the previous one had been elected. The previous one hadn't been in power for long when Alex had been kidnapped by Desmond McCain and had, apparently, ordered Blunt's retirement. According to the news, his power hadn't lasted long because he didn't know that his advisers loathed each other. Both advisers had constantly sabotaged each other which resulted in the whole administration's operations being undermined and calls for the prime minister to step down soon followed. Alex's last thought before fully succumbing to sleep was that the current prime minister seemed more competent than the last one.

 **A/N: Not much happens in this chapter besides a lot of information exchanged in a very long meeting but the next one will have some action. Tell me what you think so far!**


	6. Bait

**Thank you to the people who have followed or favorited the story since the last chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

Whistling as he made his way down to one of the basement floors, labeled B1, Ben thought about the team he had put together. There were three other agents and an SAS team. He was frustrated that the three agents were the only ones, with high enough clearance, available for now. The agents weren't newbies but neither were they highly seasoned operatives. What put him in a good mood though was working with the SAS team. He didn't mind too much that it wasn't his old unit. M-unit had been in training with them and he knew they were good people to work with. More than that, he liked working in Special Operations but missed the way that soldiers worked. It would feel good to be working once more with people you know will have your back, no matter what. As he reached the room he had left Alex in, he couldn't help smiling at the sight that greeted him. The sleeping teen looked so innocent and peaceful. Very different from when the teen was awake. Which was starting to happen. His whistling must've woken the boy. Ben frowned as he watched Alex slowly rouse himself from sleep and scan the room warily before relaxing minutely in satisfaction of having no immediate danger present. The teen no longer looked like an innocent and peaceful child. Instead, he was back to the confident but wary young man that he had gotten accustomed to in the last week. He remembered the first time he had tried to wake the boy, who was in the middle of a nightmare, when they were staying in Berlin. Shaking the teen's shoulder gently and telling him it was time to wake up had resulted in a bit of a shock for both of them. The teen's eyes had flown open and Ben had frozen, both staring at each other with wide eyes until Alex had relaxed as he recognized where he was and who he was with. The boy had asked him what time it was and they had continued on as if nothing had happened. But since then, Ben had always made sure to make some noise before waking the teen up. He wondered what had happened to the boy to make him react like that. It was often a problem with soldiers but it wasn't a normal occurrence for anyone else, much less a 15 year old boy. The teen's age was another thing that had shocked him when he had found out and it only served to enrage him further.

"So, what's going on?" Alex asked while turning off the telly, pulling Ben from his thoughts.

Ben smiled and replied, "I've put together a team but I'm waiting for everyone to arrive. We're going to get dinner in the cafeteria before we meet up and plan the operation."

"There's a cafeteria in the building?"

Ben laughed lightly at this and just nodded, leading the way to the cafeteria on the eighth floor. As they entered, there were a few people scattered around the room and they looked up at the new arrivals, raising their eyebrows at Alex's presence. Ignoring the reactions they received, they went to grab some food and Ben said, "It's not much but it'll do for a quick bite."

Alex didn't care that the food wasn't great quality or that there wasn't a large selection. The cafeteria had soups, sandwiches, water, juice, and coffee. It was the basics but it was food which good enough. And it wasn't until Ben had mentioned dinner that Alex realized he was starving. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast that morning. As they ate, Alex could feel the disapproving looks the other agents in the room were giving him but nobody accosted him so he studiously ignored them. Once they finished eating, he followed Ben to a conference room on the twelfth floor where three agents in cheap suits and four men in fatigues were waiting for them. These people all looked at the teen with contempt. Alex recognized the SAS unit as one he had been in training with but they didn't seem to recognize him. He wasn't surprised. They hadn't had a lot of contact with him. It had been a year and he'd grown a few inches so he now stood at 5'7". His experiences had aged him too. Sometimes, he couldn't even recognize himself in the mirror when he tried to compare his face to the way he looked a year ago.

"Alright," Ben started, calling the room to attention once the door had closed, "we're here to plan out an operation for tomorrow night. Alex, these are agents Smith, Williams, and Baker. Over there is M-unit. Bear is the unit leader, Falcon is the medic, Rabbit does weapons and demolitions, and Monkey is the communications expert," Ben introduced, pointing to each person. "Everyone, this is Alex. He will be going in as our bait to gather information. Our job is to make sure we know where he is and what is going on around him so we can get him out safely without alerting the enemy to our presence. Alex _is_ our mission and I want you to have his back at all times. As much as the situation allows anyways. Are we clear?" Even though Alex could take care of himself and didn't like the order to be protected at all times, he understood the need for it.

The agents nodded reluctantly but Bear, being the unit leader and more familiar with Ben, sneeringly asked, "Can we even trust the boy to do this right, Fox?"

"Can I even trust you to have my back?" Alex shot back.

Bear, like many soldiers, had chosen his career because he wanted to protect the vulnerable so he was furious at the insinuation that he would leave a child in danger. For that was what the boy in front of him was. His unit was about to defend their leader but Ben turned to Bear and coldly interrupted, "Alex has served this country just as you have. I've seen him in action and I trust him with my life." Looking each person in the eye, he asked, "Does anyone else have a problem?" Taken aback at the strong response, everyone nodded quickly and stared curiously at Alex, all of them still skeptical. Suddenly, the door opened and Mrs. Jones walked in. Agents and soldiers alike saluted her while Alex stood by, waiting for her to speak as she made her way to the head of the table.

"We've received news from our agent in Berlin. The Americans managed to stop most of the bombs tonight. One went off and there are a few injured. They're cleaning up their operation now," Mrs. Jones said. "Our own agent has reported that the shipment came in and consisted of the Sinaloa cartel herding ragged teens who were carrying the drug. That's all the information we have. You were right, Alex. We still don't know who is calling the shots. Once again, you're our only hope of stopping whoever is behind all this," Mrs. Jones finished with a tinge of regret in her voice. If there was any doubt among the others in the room about Alex's position after Ben's statement, there certainly wasn't any now. The head of MI6 had just confirmed Alex's involvement with the agency. Instead of holding the teen in contempt like before, they were now enraged that the agency would use someone so young but still worried about the teen's capabilities.

"We'll keep that in mind as we plan the operation," Ben assured her.

Mrs. Jones nodded curtly in acknowledgement and left the room, leaving them to continue their meeting which lasted most of the night. They pored over floor plans of the surrounding buildings as well as examining a map of the streets surrounding Albert Bridge, trying to figure out how to cover the whole area with the few people they had and not lose sight of Alex. With the information that Mrs. Jones had just given them, they also went over the things that Alex should keep an eye out for as he was being held captive. By the time they finished, dawn had risen and everyone desperately needed sleep so they crashed in the bedrooms on the basement floors.

Eight hours later, they each took a shower and had a late lunch in the cafeteria. If the rest of the team were surprised when they got out of the shower and saw Alex and Ben with their natural hair colors after washing out the dye with Smithers' conditioner, they didn't comment on it. In fact, no one said much of anything as they made their last preparations and checks. It wasn't uncommon for people in their line of work to be tense before an operation but they were even more tense now because no one, except Ben, had any idea what Alex was capable of. To them, Alex was a wild card.

Finally, it was time to go. Making their way east, towards the edge of the Chelsea area, they broke up into teams of two while doing surveillance over the whole area around Albert Bridge. After the surveillance, they settled into their places and checked their radios one last time while Alex walked off towards Battersea Park, activating the tracker signal on the iPhone while thinking about how close he was to his Chelsea home. And yet, so far away. Meanwhile, Ben and Bear were on standby at Battersea Heliport with a pilot, ready to track Alex by air once he was taken by the triads. On one end of the bridge, Smith and Falcon were in one of the Waterside Point houses. On the other end of the bridge, Williams and Rabbit were positioned by the King Henry VIII Manor House while Baker and Monkey were on the Cadogan Pier. Everyone on the ground was wearing plain clothes as it was their job to observe Alex and the triads discreetly. Once Alex was on the move, the ground teams would follow in each of their vehicles and pull the teen out once had the information they needed.

At 2330 hours, Alex walked out of the park, into the middle of the bridge, and waited with arms crossed and fists clenched. He was glad he had put on the windbreaker as a light drizzle had started some time ago, with the dark clouds forecasting heavy rain to come for the night. While he waited, he couldn't help but think about his father, John Rider, trading himself to Scorpia in exchange for a diplomat's son on this very bridge so many years ago. Of course, it had been a set up his father had arranged with MI6 to kill two birds with one stone. It was funny how history repeats itself. He was basically doing what his father did back then. Twenty five minutes later, Alex's eyes flashed towards the end of the bridge closest to Chelsea, where Williams, Baker, Rabbit, and Monkey were positioned. A group of five triads had appeared and were stalking towards him. They didn't seem to have dressed for the weather as they were in black t-shirts and jeans. As they reached Alex, he uncrossed his arms and balanced his weight on the balls of his feet while the group formed a loose circle around the teen, all of them dripping wet from the pouring rain that had now built up.

"Alex Rider," the tallest one sneered menacingly in a perfect English accent. He seemed to be the leader of the group. Narrowing his eyes, he demanded, "Did you come here alone?"

Alex raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "You really think the intelligence agencies would care about your threat? They'd have locked me up if they knew I was here to trade myself for the Pleasures."

"Finally done hiding like a scared little boy and letting others suffer for you?" the leader taunted.

Alex clenched his jaw, trying to block out the fact that the comment hit a little too close to home. Other people had certainly suffered just for being associated with him. But for now, he put it out of his mind and said coolly, "I'm not the scared one here."

They all snarled at this and the one to his right lunged at him. Except Alex had been ready for it. Catching them by surprise, he ducked under the punch that was aimed at his head before coming up again to jab his right fist into the side of the man's neck. One down, he thought grimly as the man fell unconscious. Suddenly, a furious shout came from behind him and he couldn't breathe. Desperately clawing at the arm that had found its way around his throat, he lashed out with a side kick at the triad with a knife on his left. While he was preoccupied with making the triad drop the knife, he didn't see the man, who had stood beside the leader before, throw a punch to his face. As the triad was about to punch him again, Alex blindly slammed his left fist into the arm still strangling him. The arm loosened as that triad fell unconscious as well and Alex took another punch to the gut. Before Alex could move again, the leader had grabbed the other triad by the collar and yanked him back.

"Our employer still needs him. After that, our turn will come and we can do what we want with the boy," the leader growled, panting from his earlier efforts to hold back the triad with the knife. "Tie him up and blindfold him."

"Stupid boy. Thinking you could beat us all by yourself," the leader's right hand man sneered with a light Chinese accent as he tied Alex's hands behind his back and a black cloth over his eyes. Alex, still on his knees and clutching his stomach, said nothing but smiled inwardly and let them force him to his feet. The leader roughly shoved Alex in front of him and steered them towards a van parked on the edge of the Chelsea neighbourhood while the two remaining triads dragged their unconscious members with them.

Meanwhile, Ben's teams could hear everything happening on the bridge, even if Ben and Bear couldn't see what was going on. When the triads greeted Alex, Bear glared at Ben and growled into the radio, "Did he just say 'Rider'?"

"Yes, we're working with Alex Rider," Ben confirmed, unfazed by the glare directed at him. His whole team erupted into disbelieving and angry cursing. They had all heard the stories about Alex Rider. Even though there was little proof of the stories, he was fast becoming a legend among the intelligence agencies and elite military forces because of how unbelievable they were. Those stories said he was good. Those stories said he was young. But no one thought that he would be a schoolboy nearly half their age.

"Is he purposely baiting them into a fight?" Falcon groaned incredulously when Alex hinted at the triads being scared. The rest of the team made frustrated sounds at this. Insulting the triads had not been a part of the plan and they all thought the teen was insane. In truth, Alex had been privately planning to provoke the triads because it might make them let something slip. He had succeeded. They confirmed that someone was controlling them so he knew they were on the right track before he let the triads take him. He just hadn't planned on angering them this much. The words had slipped out before he could stop himself. He supposed it had become a reflex.

"Do you still have a visual on Alex?" Ben asked to bring his teams' attention back to the task at hand.

"What the hell?" the ground teams chorused in response as they saw the two triads drop unconscious. During their planning, they had wanted to come up with a way to avoid fighting at all costs but Alex had insisted that it would look suspicious if he went with the triads without resisting. So, they had reluctantly agreed to allow the fight if it happened. That didn't mean that they liked the idea. In fact, they were worried that Alex would get himself killed in the fight before the mission had even truly started. The teen had even told them there was no way he would win a fight against the triads. Now, the two unconscious triads and Alex's identity told them he at least stood a chance so they began to hold a little more hope even though they were confused. The hits Alex had gotten in shouldn't have knocked the triads unconscious but what none of them knew was that Alex had taken two of the extra tranquilizer darts Smithers had given him before going to Berlin and hidden them in his fists. As the triads were already on the move, there was no time to explain to Ben what had happened so Monkey just reported, "Targets are on the move. Preparing to follow, over."

"Copy that. Maintain visual on targets but don't let them know they're being tailed. We will follow by air, over."

"Wilco," the ground teams chorused once again. Now that they were on the move, the spies and soldiers had gone from casual conversation to professional in a split second. They quickly packed up their gear, started their cars, and followed the triads' van at a distance, heading northbound. They had no idea where the triads were going but they followed the van's right turn at the King's Road intersection. Some time later, it was when they were driving through Eaton Square Gardens that everything went wrong. Ahead of them, a series of explosions went off near Buckingham Palace which forced them to make another right turn and lose sight of the van in an effort to keep up.

"Fuck!" Ben suddenly exclaimed. "This is Fox speaking. Tracker and audio signals have been lost. Does anyone have a clear visual on the targets? Over."

"Negative, over," came the response in succession from each ground team. Bear watched curiously as Ben ran a hand through his hair, pacing, in frustration and worry. Normally, the air team would have been able to keep track of everything on the ground but the heavy rain had meant that they had poor visibility so they had had trouble keeping the triads' van in their sights, especially after being distracted by the explosions. They had lost Alex's position.

"Keep searching," Ben ordered, "and I will contact headquarters for more information. Over." As soon as the ground teams indicated that they were following his orders, Ben contacted Mrs. Jones. She was furious at him for losing Alex but sent out agents to deal with the situation at Buckingham Palace and redirected his call to Smithers so they could work on getting the signal back. Smithers, for his part, was utterly confused at the lost signal. His gadgets had never failed before. The only plausible explanation for it was if someone had managed to disrupt the signal. If that was the case, he was intrigued as to how the person did it and mad at himself for not thinking of counteracting it sooner. The trick with this one was that they couldn't just override the signal jammer. They had to find a way around it so that whoever was controlling the signal wouldn't realize they had gotten back in.

As Smithers was working on finding a way around the signal jammer, Ben's teams still hadn't tracked down the van but the triads had reached their destination. Forcing Alex out of the vehicle, they frog marched him to meet the man who was currently controlling their organization.

"What is this?!" Alex heard a man demand in a gravelly voice. "Take that blindfold off of him and untie his hands!"

Alex rubbed his wrists and blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light he was exposed to. There were three triads standing at his back and sides. The other two were still unconscious and would be for another hour. Looking around him, he could also see a black and white sign telling him that he was at Falcon London Heliport. Near the Canary Wharf and quite a ways from Albert Bridge, his mind supplied to orient him. In front of Alex, there was an elderly man with bespectacled, wide set, green eyes. He looked like the kind of grandfather that would sit on a bench by a river and feed the birds but his thin, downturned lips also gave him the air of one who would scold his grandchildren for running in the halls. What was unusual though, Alex noticed, was the fit and lean body the man before him had. There weren't many grandpas who were in top physical condition for their age. While Alex was examining their surroundings, the man had been looking at Alex's face. Specifically, his split lip and bruised jaw. The man narrowed his eyes and, in the blink of an eye, had transformed into a cold, menacing person. The air around the man seemed to grow a few degrees colder.

"I told you to bring him to me unharmed," the man hissed. Faster than anyone could react, the man had pulled out a gun and shot the triad leader in the middle of the forehead. "You are the leader of this operation now. Dispose of the body and get the next phase started," he ordered the dead triad's right hand man. It was clear that the remaining triads wanted revenge for the murder that had just happened but they stiffly went to follow their orders.

Turning to Alex, the man transformed back into the kind grandfather persona and gestured for the teen to follow him. Hurrying to comply with the man's wishes in case he decided to shoot him too, Alex was led to a helicopter with a black eagle logo inscribed with the letters "SSS". The logo looked familiar but Alex couldn't quite place it. And, although he didn't know it, the chopper was a Bell UH-1Y Venom - the current standard for the U.S. Marine Corps. Once they climbed into the chopper, he stared at the two loaded machine guns mounted inside as they sat down. The man noticed this and said apologetically, "Sorry for all the weapons but it is necessary for me to be ready at all times. I do not think that you are working for anyone right now but all the same, I have jammed any signals that might be around this chopper for a five mile radius." Alex's insides went cold at this new information. He had heard the explosions on the way here and assumed it had something to do with the triads. That had probably made Ben's team lose sight of him too which meant he was alone. He forced himself to stay calm. It wasn't the first time that he had gone on a mission without any backup. Even when he did have backup, it usually arrived late. He could get through this. Suddenly, the man grinned and said, "But where are my manners? I have not even introduced myself yet. You must excuse me, Alex. I am becoming forgetful in my old age. My name is Maximus Sicherheit. I am the founder and CEO of Sicherheit Security Systems. Before that, I was a German spy during World War II but I helped the victims of the Nazis as much as my position would allow."

"You must have been a defensive child."

Sicherheit laughed lightly at this. "I like you, Alex Rider! I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time now. Chance has brought us together. I am only sorry that it is under such circumstances. You must have had quite a scare with the triads and that Scorpia assassination attempt back in America. As soon as I heard about it, I've had people looking for you. You are a hard person to track down when you want to be, Alex. Luckily, someone happened to recognize you at a motel. I gave the order for anyone who knew your location to pass along the information. They were not to approach you until a triad could bring you to me since you have already had contact with them." Sicherheit frowned. "I suppose I should not have underestimated the triads' need for revenge. Otherwise, you would not have been shot at in Berlin. Speaking of which, we will be taking off for Berlin in the next few minutes. I suggest you buckle up and get some sleep since it will be too noisy for conversation once we are in the air. I will tell you everything when we get to my company's Berlin facilities."

With that, Sicherheit got up to talk to the pilot as Alex buckled up. He would not sleep though. Not only was it safer to stay awake, but his mind was also racing to put together a picture of what was going on with the information he had just been told. As they flew to Berlin, he pretended to sleep. Replaying his memories of the drug deal in Berlin, he realized that Gold Tooth was the one who had recognized him. So they were right, he thought. Everything was connected to this man in front of him. A very rich and powerful man. He now knew that the familiar sign on the chopper was Sicherheit's company logo. He remembered overhearing Edward Pleasure talking on the phone about this company and seeing it in the news. It was the largest security system company in the whole world. Almost to the point of having a monopoly on the industry. Even intelligence agencies used their systems. If Sicherheit was planning something, the whole world could be in trouble.

 **A/N: Wilco = "Will comply"**

 **"Sicherheit" is the German word for "security" (according to Google Translate at least) so, yes, I basically named this psychopath "Maximum Security".**

 **Thanks for reading! What did you think? Likes? Dislikes? Not sure how many people are reading this but please leave a review, follow, and/or favorite the story so I know how I'm doing!**


	7. Operation Darwin

**A/N: I've decided that anything in a different language will be** **in italics and then** **immediately followed by the English translation in brackets instead of doing the translation at the end in the author's notes. I can be reasonably sure that the Mandarin and Spanish translations are done correctly (or at least close enough to get the point across). Any other languages that might be used in the story in the future will be solely reliant on Google Translate (except for Cantonese which will be harder for me to express in writing if I use it), so please do point out any mistakes!**

 **On another note, thank you to my friend for the support and helping me out with some of the details of this chapter!**

 **Also, thank you to those of you who have reviewed, favorited and/or followed this story since the last chapter! I struggled with writing this chapter so I really hope that the quality holds up to your expectations. Your responses gave me a renewed determination to finish it! This chapter ended up being quite a bit longer than my other ones, which I didn't expect. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider. Or anything else.**

It seemed that Sicherheit was a very punctual man. After the ex-spy repeatedly checked to make sure they were on schedule, Alex found himself standing, exactly three hours later, on Sicherheit Security Systems' helipad in Berlin and looking out at the expansive, empty field surrounding the company's 8-storey building. They seemed to be in the city's southeastern Treptow-Köpenick district, an area with a low population density. It was still dark out but, across from him, he could just make out the Spree in the distance, feeding into Müggelsee Lake. His sailing lessons from last week seemed a lifetime ago to him now. On either side, the building was nestled between two rivers merging into Seddinsee Lake.

"Beautiful, is it not?" Sicherheit asked, coming to stand beside him. "The view was one of the reasons why I chose this location for my Germany headquarters. Nature reminds me of my true goal."

"Going back to your roots?"

Sicherheit smiled at him indulgently and turned to walk towards the fire escape leading into the building. "No, but I will explain what I mean momentarily. Come. Let us talk in my office."

They were silent as Alex was led to a large office on the top floor that was not much different from those in intelligence agencies. Everything was grey or dark wood. Impersonal. Alex supposed that it was a preference left over from the man's spying career. Wondering if he would turn into that kind of person someday, he scanned the room and hoped not. It would be like stripping away his humanity. While he scanned the room, he sat down in the chair opposite of the ex-spy and took note of the security cameras as he accepted the water that Sicherheit offered him.

As he was watching Alex's every move, Sicherheit noticed his examination of the room and gave an almost imperceptible nod of approval. "What do you think of the current state of the human race, Alex? Of human nature?"

Alex shrugged. Even though he sensed that his answer was important despite the casual tone of voice used, he couldn't understand why his opinion mattered. "Same as it's always been. Both good and bad exists."

"Good, you still have a little innocence left in you," the ex-spy muttered to himself wistfully, taking a sip of water. Addressing Alex again, he asked, "And what do you think of the state of the world's security?"

Alex thought back to his experiences in the last year. "Could be better." There had been quite a few psychopaths that he had stopped. He was the only one who could have done it, if Blunt and Jones were to be believed. "It depends on the people in law enforcement and military," he added as an afterthought.

Sicherheit nodded with a gleam in his eyes. "Yes, it does depend on the people. But what happens when the criminals outnumber the law enforcement and military personnel? Or the people that civilians depend on for security are corrupt? You have experienced how ruthless intelligence agencies can be, how much they can operate above the law. Blackmailing a fourteen year old to do their dirty work! And you have prevailed over and over, against impossible odds! No other boy can do that. You are unique."

As Sicherheit talked, Alex watched the man's green eyes become brighter with every sentence. His speech took on a much heavier German accent. His hands, once unnaturally still, began to gesticulate a little more. Yet, Alex still had no idea what the man was planning. "Why did you have the triads bring me to you?" Alex asked. "What do you want with me?"

"I want you to join me," Sicherheit answered simply.

Alex was taken aback at the response. "Why? For what?"

Sicherheit considered him for a moment. "As a German spy during the war, it was too dangerous for me to have children. I saw how my colleagues treated prisoners and I was forced to do the same. The tortured screams, the pleading, and cries of our victims still haunt me. And for what? All because one man hated a single race and spread that hate to the rest of the German people! There were so few of my colleagues who resisted. So, I did what was expected of me under Hitler's rule. But I could not stand by and watch all of that happen to my beloved country! I passed along information to the British and their allies. I undermined the watch guards, working behind the scenes when I could, to help people escape the country. I sneaked in food and water to the prisoners when I could, without anyone knowing it was me. It was not enough. It will never be enough."

The man's voice cracked near the end and he paused, fingers gripping the edge of the desk, to compose himself. "After the war, my best friend and I could only rely on each other to recover from the trauma of what we witnessed. What we did. In the end, it was too much for my friend. He turned to drugs and eventually died from an overdose." Suddenly, Sicherheit stood up to start pacing back and forth, his face twisted in rage. "He was weak! Just like the criminals and corrupt law enforcement that will always exist! It made me realize that the only way to make the world safer was to eliminate the weak and incapable from the human race."

Turning back towards Alex, he declared, "You are neither. The perfect role model for civilians to follow in stopping disasters from happening and coping with the trauma if it cannot be prevented. If I had a son, I would have wanted him to be like you."

Groaning inwardly, Alex swore to himself that he would never wish to have a family again. His family either ended up dead or they were in constant danger, just from being associated with him. If that wasn't the case, then this is what happens. He had seen this behavior before and had a good idea of where it was going. Sarov had wanted him as a substitute to his dead son. Drevin had paid more attention to him than his own, still living, son until the man had found out his identity. It seemed that Sicherheit was the third psychopath he had come across in the last year who wanted to adopt him. He didn't express any of this to the man though. Instead, he maintained a carefully neutral expression and tone to hide what he was thinking. "The stress might send you into an early grave."

Sicherheit ignored Alex, resuming his pacing. "Operation Darwin. You stumbled across it in San Francisco. In the beginning, it only involved the drugs. Even then, it was not complete until you gave me the missing piece by stopping SCORPIA's Invisible Sword operation, bringing my attention to it. After that, I had my grandnephew, Klaus, steal the information and adapted it for my own use."

Alex couldn't help the twitch he gave in surprise and fear when he heard the SCORPIA operative's name. He had trained with the mercenary during his brief stint on the wrong side of the law and wondered if Klaus hated him like the SCORPIA board members he had come across since that mission.

"Yes, you have met him before," Sicherheit said, seeming to read his mind. "It has been many years since I have spoken to my grandnephew as I do not like his choice of profession. I would have preferred to never speak to him again if I had not needed his help in my plan." Sicherheit paused, amusement evident in his eyes. "Klaus made the assassination attempt on you in San Francisco. I did not realize that he had plans to do so until it had already happened. He thought that the chaos of my plan would mean a smaller chance of your survival as there would be less law enforcement available to come to your aid. He is quite angry that he failed. It would have given him a quick promotion within SCORPIA's ranks."

Finally, some pieces were starting to fall into place for Alex. This gave him an answer as to why the assassination attempt had been timed as it was. It told him that SCORPIA was not actually involved this time. He didn't know if that made him feel better or not. Still, there were a lot of things that he didn't quite understand yet. "How did you adapt SCORPIA's nanotechnology?"

Sicherheit gave him a small, satisfied smile. "Instead of injections that will target the heart when the signal is given, the drug is ingested through smoking or swallowing. When I activate the satellites I have set up, terahertz radiation will break up the gold nanocapsules that have latched onto the stomach lining, releasing the cyanide contained within. All of the people who have taken the drug will be eliminated. The world's future is in the hands of our children so I have specifically targeted them. Sadly, many youngsters will die. But if I am to make the world a safer place, then we cannot have weak-minded people in it. Think of it as survival of the fittest."

Alex felt disgusted with the man. He hated drugs but would never seek to kill those who took them. Even for drug dealers, like Skoda, he had never thought to kill them. He had injured Skoda severely and caused a lot of property damage in the process but he had only wanted to bring the dealers to justice by putting their lab on the police station's doorstep. Literally. "I wonder what your friend would think of you if he saw what you were doing now," he responded coldly.

The former spy gave him a condescending look. "He was weak. You are still young and innocence has not completely left you yet. But you will learn that the ends justify the means."

Alex didn't agree with that statement but he knew that protesting would be useless so he let it go. Besides, it didn't seem like there was much left to find out about the drugs and he still had other questions. "How do the bombs fit in with your scheme?"

Again, Sicherheit gave him an approving look. It seemed that he was asking the right questions. "That did not come into my plan until the western politicians announced their increased intake of refugees. It is my wake up call to the world to strengthen their own security first before taking in refugees. Those people are often violent. Not through any fault of their own. But because they most likely have post-traumatic stress disorder and deal with it the only way they know how from their experiences in war-torn countries." The man paused to take a long drink of water. "I started with San Francisco because I was doing business at my headquarters there and wanted to see the results of the test run. After you stopped that from happening, I had the triads refine their methods. Since then, almost all of the bombings I have planned were completely successful. In four hours, the western politicians are going to have a press conference in the Bundestag to speak about their pledge to help the refugees. That is when I will simultaneously activate the satellites and the bombs."

Alex felt sick to his stomach. He knew something was going on but, beyond telling the CIA, he had done nothing about it. He wondered how many people had died in those bombings. How many he could have saved if he hadn't chosen to lay low and go on vacation in this city, ignoring the news for a week. He wondered how many were going to die today. He strengthened his resolve to see this mission through. "Why did you hire the Sinaloa cartel and the triads?"

Sicherheit looked surprised. "I thought it would be obvious why I hired the cartel and the triads. As a decorated veteran of the war and valued supplier for the military and intelligence agencies, no one would suspect me of anything. The chopper was even a gift from the US Marine Corps. Hiring criminal organizations keeps the attention on them, not me. Of course, I have not told them everything. They will be in for a nasty surprise when the drug users among them start dropping dead. As to why those two organizations specifically, they were already in the area with other business to attend to so it was the perfect cover. Having two organizations throws the intelligence agencies off, does it not?"

"Looks like they aren't intelligent enough," Alex muttered.

Suddenly, the man looked a little apprehensive, fidgeting with the buttons on his suit. "Will you join me? Together, we can make the world a safer place. In return, I can give you anything you want. A family and freedom from MI6. You can inherit my business and all my money. What do you say?"

"No," Alex replied calmly.

The skin around the man's eyes tightened and his lips formed a hard line. "I suppose it was foolish of me to hope that I could convince you in so little time. One day, you will see that I am right. But for now," Sicherheit pressed a button on the underside of his desk, "you will have to be watched."

A hidden door had slid open to reveal five men - Klaus, two triads, and two cartel members. They gave Alex a menacing grin that faded into a frown when Sicherheit gave them their orders. "You are not to harm him unless absolutely necessary. I know that some of you have a grudge to settle but do not kill him either. Let Alex wander the building but guard him well. He is a guest. Bring him back to me, in the control room, at 0850 hours. I want him to see Operation Darwin play out."

Klaus gestured for Alex to follow them out of the office with a jerk of his thumb. For the next three and a half hours, Alex casually walked through the building in silence, ignoring the murderous glares that his guards were giving him but still aware of their movements. Leading the group through the building, he memorized as much of the floor plan as he could and took note of the locations of security cameras and escape routes. Along the way, he saw more triad and cartel members, as well as the regular night shift guards. He highly doubted that the night shift guards knew what the current occupants of the building were involved in. They would be innocent bystanders in the anticipated chaos, just trying to do their job.

At one point, his guards forced him to go outside for their smoke break. It was only during this break that he spoke to them to satisfy his curiosity, taking a chance on the cigarettes mellowing out his guards a little bit.

"Why are you all working for Sicherheit?" Alex asked all of them. Focusing on the triads, he added, "What has he promised that you would refuse negotiations with an intelligence agency and still work for him even after he has murdered your own people?"

His guards exchanged looks with each other. Suspicion colored their eyes when the triads, cartel members, and Klaus regarded each other. Then, silent communication of how to deal with his question when they exchanged looks with their partners. Another minute passed before a cartel member took one last drag of his cigarette and, deciding it was a harmless question, muttered an answer to him.

"Ten million in American dollars and one hundred percent of all profits from the drugs for our cartel."

After a beat of silence, the triads decided to chip in with an answer too. "Ten million euros and a lifetime supply of weapons for all the triads."

"Five million Canadian dollars all to myself," Klaus said. He considered the answers for a moment and snorted, shaking his head. "Should have known he would use different currencies."

For the rest of the smoke break, they continued their silence and mulled over what each of them were offered. Alex didn't know how Sicherheit's promises compared to each other and any other options they might have had available but he figured that a business deal like that would be enough to put each organization under the man's control. At least temporarily. Of course, the cartel probably wouldn't have taken the job if they knew that Sicherheit was planning to destroy the drug business.

When they went back into the building, Alex tripped and put his hand on one of the cartel members to steady himself, pickpocketing the pack of matches and a key card he had seen earlier as he did so. It wasn't much but it was something. And that made him feel a little better about the situation. Later, as they passed one of the offices on his third round of the building, he started to get hungry so he snatched two oranges out of the fruit bowl on a table outside one of the cubicles. He ate both of them while thinking about how he was going to stop Sicherheit without any backup. In the few hours of roaming the building, he still hadn't come up with anything solid. All he knew was that he needed to lose his guards and make sure that he couldn't be tracked through the security cameras.

Catching a glimpse of the time, he realized there was only half an hour left before the press conference started. It was time to move. He casually walked towards a washroom at the end of the fourth floor corridor and tried to go in but Klaus blocked him with an arm.

Alex looked up at the mercenary. "Just need to use the washroom." Klaus still didn't move, eyeing him with suspicion. After half a minute of sizing each other up, Klaus moved aside.

"Don't take too long," he snapped.

Nodding curtly, Alex went in and scanned the washroom, checking every stall to make sure there was no one in there with him. He estimated that he had about two minutes before his guards would come in. There were no windows and his guards were standing outside the only doorway. That left one direction he could go. Quickly, he locked himself in one of the stalls and climbed onto the toilet seat. Hoisting himself up onto the stall's partition wall, he balanced himself on it while reaching over to the vent that was about three feet to the side. He removed the vent's grill as quietly as possible and struggled a little to lift himself up into the ventilation shaft. Looking around, he replaced the grill and pressed his thumb against the inside of his windbreaker. Before leaving the bank, he had figured out that the hidden pocket was positioned right over his heart and had a lead lining to prevent x-rays from showing what was inside. He had put the iPhone and his remaining three extra darts in there, just as Jones had instructed him. Now, the opening of the pocket scanned his fingerprint and granted him access. Turning the phone upside down and plugging in his earphones, he opened up the iMovie app to use the x-ray machine.

"Great," he grumbled quietly to himself. The vents didn't appear to have a direct path to his guards. Crawling along the shortest route as quietly as he could, he found that it was difficult to move as fast as he would have liked without drawing anyone's attention. He wasn't as small anymore so, even though there was still a decent amount of room for him, it wasn't as much as it used to be. Finally, he reached the opening closest to his guards and positioned the top of his phone between the vent's grills.

"I'm going in to see what's taking Rider so long," Alex heard Klaus mutter to the others. Once Klaus disappeared behind the door to the washroom, Alex took aim and dialed 999 on his phone twice in quick succession. He would have liked to take out all of his guards but he knew that they would figure out his position before he got to all of them if he lingered that long. Instead, he settled for one dart to take out a triad and the other to take out a cartel member. The effect was instantaneous. Each person dropped to the ground unconscious and their partners yelled out in surprise. Hearing this, and finding no one in the washroom, Klaus crashed through the door to see what had happened. He swore, a vein bulging at his temple, and took out his gun. "Leave them. We need to find the boy. He can't have gone far," Klaus snarled at the two men trying to drag their unconscious partners into an office. "Check the outside perimeters and the security cameras. I'll search the building."

By this time, Alex had already put some distance between himself and his guards as he had crawled back through the vents towards the middle of the corridor as soon as his tranquilizer darts were fired. Once he was there, he tapped the option in the iMovie app to send out a square wave frequency signal to jam all the security cameras in a fifty yard radius. That would take care of most of the cameras in the building and any regular personnel watching the video feed would only think that it was a malfunction of the system. The only people who would suspect it had anything to do with him would be his guards and Sicherheit. After he was finished with that, Alex crawled out of a vent that was set near the ground in Sicherheit's office and put the vent's grill back in place.

Looking around, he listened for anyone approaching while deciding what he should do. He didn't know exactly why he was back in the man's office, or what he was looking for, but he knew that if he was going to find anything, it would be here. Hearing no one, he went over to Sicherheit's desk. It was neat and organized. A stack of papers about a new sales contract sat on one corner with a computer at the other. Nothing he was looking for. The computer might have some information but he wasn't betting on his computer skills being able to find anything on it. For a company specializing in security, he would be disappointed if he could do it without Smithers' gadgets. Opening the drawers, he only found more office supplies and business documents. Until he got to the last drawer. Unlike the others, it was locked. Quickly, he grabbed the paper clip he saw earlier that was holding the sales contract together and bent it so that he could pick the lock. It would take longer than he would have liked, especially as he could feel that he was out of practice, but it was the only option he could see that wouldn't leave too much evidence behind. The moment the drawer was open, he knew he had found what he had come to the office for. Inside, he saw a manila envelope filled with the documents that Klaus had stolen from SCORPIA. Alex wanted to take them with him but he didn't have anywhere safe to put them. After a moment's hesitation, he tucked the envelope into the waistband of his jeans and covered it with the back of his shirt.

Doing a final scan of the room for anything he might have missed, he closed the drawer and listened again for anyone approaching. Not that he hadn't already been listening the whole time. It was just better to make sure. Hearing no one, he slipped out of the office and ran through the halls, using the iPhone to help steer clear of any trouble. He knew there was less of a chance of being spotted by his guards if he used the vents again, except he was running out of time. Sicherheit had let him explore the building for a few hours but there were still some restricted areas that his guards had kept him away from. The major one was the basement so that was where he was headed now. Allowing an opportunity for reconnaissance to be carried out was probably out of character for an ex-spy, but Alex supposed that the man wanted to make him feel welcome so he would be more likely to go along with his plans. The past three and a half hours had been useful so he wasn't going to complain. Most of the doors had been closed and locked though, so he was glad that the x-ray machine on his iPhone could help him identify what the rooms were used for.

Finally, he reached the door leading to the basement. There were a couple of close calls on his way down, but he had managed to duck out of sight before he could be seen. Now, he took the key card he had pickpocketed from the cartel member and swiped it through the scanner, praying that the card had access to the basement. It lit up green. Alex let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and quickly opened the door, closing it behind him as gently as he could. Immediately, he could hear a man talking in a language that he couldn't understand but supposed was Mandarin. A triad then, he grimaced at the thought. He was no match for them if it came to a fight. All the same, he stuck to the shadows and crept towards the voice. He wished that he knew the language so he would be able to tell if there was important information being relayed. Maybe he would look into learning it later if he survived this.

" _-_ _你這個賤女人_ _!_ _你的間諜都是一樣的_ ," the triad spat. (- you bitch! You spies are all the same.)

As Alex rounded the corner to peer into the room that the voice led him to, he could see a glaring woman, handcuffed to the wall with duct tape over her mouth, in front of the pacing triad. He didn't recognize this triad. He did recognize the woman though. The light brown hair, young face, and blue eyes that had yet to be hardened through experience in the field was unmistakable - Tamara Knight. She saved his life when Drevin had tried to have him killed off the coast of Flamingo Island. Later, he had brought help back to save her life. And then, she sent him up into space, without any training, to blow up the man's pet project - a space hotel. After that, he had never thought that he'd see her again. Cursing softly under his breath, he pulled back into the shadows as the triad faced the doorway in his pivot to pace in the other direction. He checked his surroundings with the iPhone again. There didn't seem to be anyone else around. That was probably to his advantage. If Tamara hadn't been handcuffed, she could probably help him with the triad. But she was handcuffed, so that left fighting the triad himself or using another dart from his supply that was starting to run low.

While Alex was analyzing their situation, he heard the triad sneer at Tamara. " _你不走運_ _._ _這個德國人不會高興_ _,_ _但是我的頭子會讚我_ _._ _再見了_." (You're unlucky. This German guy will not be happy but my boss will praise me. Goodbye.)

As soon as those last three words left the triad's mouth, Alex hurled himself into the room with a yell. It startled the man enough to give him the second he needed to take aim. In the moment before the dart found its mark, the triad's eyes flickered in recognition but he couldn't do much more than cry out in anger. Then, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and the man dropped like a sack of potatoes. The triad's gun, previously aimed at Tamara, clattered to the ground. Although Alex hadn't understood what the triad had been saying, his instincts had told him that things had just gotten worse. There was a certain finality in the tone of the last three words and he had no doubt about the ominous meaning behind them in their current predicament which meant that he had had to act immediately. Picking up the gun as he walked over to the man, Alex searched his pockets and came away with a set of keys, another key card, and a knife.

Making his way over to Tamara, Alex took off the duct tape over her mouth and started to work on figuring out which key would unlock her handcuffs.

"Alex!" Tamara exclaimed as soon as the duct tape was off, giving him a dazzling smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same."

"Byrne placed me here a few months ago as a tech researcher so I could investigate the unusual transactions that were taking place in this company. Large sums of money were going to interesting places. We didn't think it was _actually_ going to come to anything though. It was supposed to be some light undercover work while my arm healed," she finished wistfully and rubbed her wrists as the handcuffs were unlocked.

Alex snorted. "That's what they always say," he muttered as he reloaded his iPhone with the remaining three darts that Smithers had given him. Raising his voice again, he asked, "Did you find anything?"

"Found some drugs at around noon. And then, I was caught and thrown in here. I sent out a distress signal - "

"The signal wouldn't have gotten through," Alex interrupted and hurriedly explained what was going on before she could ask any questions. "Sicherheit has jammed all signals in a five mile radius. He's planning to set off bombs all over the world's western countries in about fifteen minutes. At the same time, terahertz radiation from his satellites will break down the nanocapsules in those drugs you found, killing anyone who has used the drugs. We need to stop him from sending out the activation signal."

Throughout his explanation, Tamara just stared at him. She wondered how the boy in front of her had gotten caught up in another mission of this scale again and decided that it didn't matter at the moment. Instead, she nodded and said determinedly, "Let's do this. Did you have a plan?"

They spent the next five minutes going through their roles and working out the issues with his plan. Even though it cut into the precious little time they had left to stop Sicherheit, they both agreed that it was time well spent. By the end of it, Tamara had exchanged her CIA-issued USB for a key card, the gun, and half of the box of matches Alex had pickpocketed. Alex still had his iPhone, the other half of the box of matches, and the knife. He would use the USB to access the computer system. Meanwhile, the unconscious triad was now hanging from the rafters of the ceiling by the handcuffs with duct tape over his mouth - Alex's idea.

Before they parted ways, Tamara paused and called out to him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Alex, it's good to be working with you again. But aren't you supposed to be retired?"

Alex let out a startled laugh. "Retired at fifteen," he mused, shaking his head at the absurdity of the thought. He had never dwelled on it long enough to put a label to the past two months of his situation. "I suppose I did retire."

"Well, old man, try to stay alive," Tamara grinned before disappearing off to complete her task.

"You too," Alex replied quietly, smile fading as he focused back on his part of the plan. He knew he had about a minute and a half before Tamara's part would force him to hide.

Silently running towards the middle of the first floor hallway, Alex found the fire alarm system. The red panel was locked and there was a code you had to enter to control it. None of this mattered to Alex though. His goal was to destroy the system. Quickly, he fished out the paperclip from Sicherheit's office that he had kept in his pocket and picked the lock. It was much easier this time around and he managed it in half a minute. Replacing the paperclip with the knife in his hand, he sawed through the wires furiously, heart beating faster with every second that passed. Finally, all the wires were cut and he scrambled to hide in the nearest empty room. Just in time to hear the first shot fired. He hoped that was Tamara drawing the guards' attention to her on the seventh floor, like they had planned, and not Tamara being caught. Sure enough, he heard running footsteps pass by him and go up the stairs. Sicherheit's guards then. That meant their plan was working so far. Soon, the guards would find a fire on the seventh floor, set off using Tamara's half of the box of matches and some disinfectant solution from the janitor's closet she had nicked on the way up. If the guards tried to put out the fire, they would find themselves caught in an explosion from the aerosol can of cleaning spray placed in the fire's path while Tamara escaped the building to call for back up. When that happened, Alex wanted to be close to destroying the activation signal. But for now, Alex stayed where he was, hoping the plan worked and listened for any other movement, before deciding it was safe to come out again.

Sticking to the shadows, Alex crept towards the only place that his iPhone's images indicated to be the control room. Swiping the key card through the scanner, he opened the door quietly, glad that the hinges were well oiled. He could hear three people muttering to each other in Spanish, huddled in front of a computer screen and trying to regain access to the security cameras with their backs turned towards the door. Seeing this, Alex wasted no time in shooting them with the tranquilizer darts, even though it meant he had no more left. It was quieter and quicker this way. With the three cartel members unconscious, he swiftly entered the control room and shut the door, just as an explosion could be heard. That was his second signal that things were going according to plan and that he needed to move faster.

Hurrying over to the cartel members, he snatched one of their guns and tucked it into the waistband of his jeans with the stolen documents before pushing the three unconscious men out of their seats, putting the knife down beside the keyboard as he did so. Alex jabbed the USB that Tamara had given him into one of the ports, scanning the room while the USB downloaded all the information it could. He could see the numerous computer screens in the room that showed footage from security cameras all over the world. A woman being gang raped in an Indian backstreet alleyway while a shopkeeper fed some homeless children a few streets away. A family reunion to celebrate a birthday in Canada, oblivious to the lost puppy near their house. A thief in Australia was panicking over his first kill, especially as it was clear that it had been accidental. A little kid giving hugs to every passerby on the streets in England. A massive drug deal taking place in Brazil. And there was so much more captured in the footage, from the worst of humanity to the best. It didn't seem like there was any corner of the world that Sicherheit didn't have access to. Alex supposed it wasn't hard to see why Sicherheit had become obsessed with Operation Darwin. The amount of knowledge of the world's activities that the man had at his fingertips was enough to feel like he had the power to play God. Because that was what Sicherheit's operation was all about. It certainly wasn't natural selection, no matter how the man tried to convince Alex it was. More importantly, one of the screens caught Alex's attention. It showed politicians at the Bundestag, about to start the press conference. Amongst the crowd of journalists, Alex could pick out a couple of agents discreetly searching for any explosives. And there was nothing in this room that told Alex it was connected to the activation signal. He only hoped that the cartel members using this specific computer meant something. Once the USB finished it's job, Alex put it in his hidden pocket and frantically searched the computer for any sign that he could control the activation signal.

Abruptly, he ceased all movement at the cold feeling of a gun on the back of his head and mentally cursed himself for not paying more attention to his surroundings. Closing his eyes for a moment and doing his best to regulate his breathing, he slowly followed his instructions to turn around and face Sicherheit.

"Step away from the computer," Sicherheit commanded coldly with a clenched jaw and expressionless eyes. Alex slowly stepped aside, over the unconscious body of a cartel member. Outside of the room, he could hear a fight break out. The intelligence agencies had finally caught up to them. Keeping the gun trained on Alex with his right hand, the man took out a USB of his own and plugged it into the port while saying, "I wanted so badly for you to be my son that I underestimated you and dropped my guard. I suppose it does not matter anymore. You will still watch me activate the satellites and see the results on these screens. You may be interested to know that this computer holds the most important information about my activities. I often come here after operational hours to work."

While the man talked, Alex watched in horror as a program started up and Sicherheit typed in a series of commands with one hand, still pointing the gun at him. He had run out of time. The only hope Alex held was that the man couldn't type and look at him simultaneously. Typing with one hand slowed the process down too. Eyes darting everywhere in search of anything that might help, Alex could only come up with ideas that would require luck. "Your office isn't hell enough for you?" Alex said in the meantime.

Still focused on the screen, Sicherheit ignored his quip and simply answered, "No one expects anything of importance to be on a common computer. Even my employees would not be able to find any trace of my presence on this." As Sicherheit spoke, Alex took advantage of the man's divided attention. Making sure the hand that was in the man's peripheral vision moved slowly to scratch his head, Alex's other hand inched towards the gun that was hidden in the waistband of his jeans. He succeeded in pulling it out just as the screen showed a confirmation question of whether to proceed with activating the signal. In one swift motion, Alex leapt out of the way and shot the wrist of Sicherheit's right hand before the man could hit the button to broadcast the signal. The bullet that had whistled past his head shattered one of the many computer screens in the room.

With a roar of pain and fury, Sicherheit's gun fell to the floor as he clutched his wrist. Alex took this opportunity to surge forward and aim a punch to the man's temple. It never connected. Even with the pain of a hole in his wrist, Sicherheit had still managed to block his punch with his left hand, snarling as he did so. Alex widened his eyes in surprise for a fraction of a second before instinct took over and he just managed to block the man's return strike, the force of the blow making him stumble back towards the computer, dropping his gun in the process. After that, the blows came fast and it was all Alex could do to block as many of them as he could. Quite a few strikes still got through Alex's defenses though and he grimaced at the thought of the bruises he was sure to have later. There might be cracked rib or two. He really needed more training if he was going to keep getting into situations like this, Alex thought. His attitude towards his missions had always been that they were temporary so he had never put much effort into training. Not that MI6 had put much effort into it either. They had just thrown him into the field after a crash course and hoped that he would survive long enough to get them the information they needed. In between missions, he had kept up his fitness by playing football at school. But since his mission in Cairo, he hadn't done anything to keep his body in shape apart from some weekend activities with the Pleasures and the last week he had spent in Berlin with Ben. As a consequence of this, Alex could already feel himself tiring out, taking more hits with each second that the fight lasted. He knew he needed to end this soon.

Suddenly, he was blinded by the explosion of pain as his head and upper body snapped to the side from the force of a backhanded blow to his face. Disoriented, he could just make out the shape of the knife he had set down earlier that was now right in front of his face. Alex seized it and slashed at Sicherheit, relieved when it actually made contact. He had managed to create a deep gash on Sicherheit's chest and the man's snarling had turned into a howl. With renewed determination, Alex wasted no time in following up with a stab into the man's stomach.

Sicherheit widened his eyes in shock, face pale, and clutched his stomach. Stumbling backwards, the man fell to the floor, looking up at him in betrayal. As Alex was still holding on to the knife, there was a gaping wound in the man's stomach, bleeding freely now that the blade wasn't there to stem the flow.

"Why?" Sicherheit whispered in defeat. "We could have made the world a better place. I was so close! And I could have given you everything in return for joining me. For being my son. Why did you have to be so stupid and work against me?"

"I'd rather MI6 kept blackmailing me than be your son," Alex said. Tucking the knife back into the waistband of his jeans, he picked up the gun he dropped earlier and turned his attention to the computer. He pressed a button to deny the confirmation of activating the signal before pulling the USB out of the port. Behind him, Sicherheit's good hand slowly crept towards his own gun. By some instinct, Alex sensed the danger and spun around.

Two shots rang out.

Five bodies in the room and no one moved. Three were still unconscious, one was dead, and the last was wounded. Two, Alex thought. This was the second time he had killed someone in cold blood. When he had trained with SCORPIA for two weeks, they had told him that killing gets easier with practice. He had never agreed. It was like Sarov all over again. Except this time, the man hadn't committed suicide in front of him. Instead, Alex had been the one to pull the trigger. It was like Julius all over again. Except this time, he wasn't shooting his own face.

Mechanically, Alex looked down at his bleeding arm, bullet still lodged inside. Satisfied that the injury wouldn't kill him, Alex quickly cut off a strip from his shirt and tied it around his arm. He looked at Sicherheit's USB in his hand. It was probably better to destroy it so no one else could use it. Scanning the room, Alex didn't see anything that would help him. He looked at the three bodies on the ground, wondering what he was supposed to do now, when the sight of the cartel members gave him an idea. He had learned in Chemistry class that orange rinds have tiny pockets filled with an oil containing limonene, a flammable hydrocarbon. It functioned as an insect repellent as well as being responsible for the orange's scent. Quickly, he pulled out his half of the box of matches he had shared with Tamara and the orange peels leftover from his snack that he hadn't had a chance to throw into the garbage yet. Placing the USB on the desk, he bent the rinds to extract the oil. When he was sure that he had squeezed out everything he could onto the USB, Alex struck a match and dropped it into the oil. The result was quicker than Alex had anticipated. Hastily, he stepped back to avoid the flare of flames and watched as the USB was devoured by the small inferno that was quickly spreading. It was then that Alex realized he had to get out of the room. With so many electronics around, the fire would make them short circuit and the resulting sparks could cause an explosion.

Looking around the room one last time to see if he had missed anything, Alex retrieved the gun and ran outside into the hallway, letting the door close behind him. Immediately, his senses were assaulted by the fight that had taken place during his confrontation with Sicherheit. There were CIA agents engaged in a struggle with the cartel members. Tamara was among them. Not far off, Ben and his team were fighting a few triads. The government employees were slowly winning. Nobody noticed him. More importantly, nobody noticed Klaus slipping out of the building. Alarmed, Alex tried to follow but was instantly blocked by the fights already taking place. Torn between going after the mercenary and helping the government agents, the decision was made for him when he spotted a triad coming up behind Bear while everyone else's attention was occupied by their own skirmishes. Alex abruptly changed direction and body slammed the triad, knocking them into the Sinaloa cartel. Everyone froze in shock, Bear looking at him in gratitude, before chaos resumed. The cartel had taken offense at the triad knocking into them and the two criminal organizations started to fight amongst themselves. After that, the government agents easily subdued the two organizations, knocking everyone out and handcuffing them.

A couple of hours later, the intelligence agencies had finished wrapping up the operation. They hadn't been able to put out the fire in the control room so the explosion had taken out a good chunk of the building. There was still a lot of smoke in there so Alex had been sitting by the river, exhausted, but enjoying the peace and quiet after Falcon and a paramedic had seen to his bullet wound. Hearing footsteps, Alex looked up to see Ben and Mrs. Jones walking towards him.

"I'm glad you're alive," Jones said quietly. "You did a good job."

Alex nodded tiredly, not sure where she was going with this.

"Agent Daniels was responsible for your safety. I made that very clear," she continued in a flat voice. Alex and Ben tensed, remembering very well what the head of MI6's terms were. "He failed and you were forced to fend for yourself again."

"Don't fire him," Alex said. "There was nothing he could have done to prevent this. The odds were already against us. Ben did the best that anyone could do under the circumstances."

Mrs. Jones considered him for a long moment. Meanwhile, Ben thanked him with his eyes but was still anxious to hear the verdict. Finally, Mrs. Jones sighed and said, "Agent Daniels, you will have desk duty until I say otherwise."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ben saluted her, evidently relieved that he wasn't fired even if he did have desk duty. No active field agent wanted desk duty. It was too boring for them and the amount of paperwork was a punishment.

Mrs. Jones nodded at Ben in acknowledgement before turning on her heel, calling back to them, "Let's head home then."

Alex got up from where he was sitting and Ben grinned at him. "Thanks, Cub. I thought I was done for sure! Although, I'm curious. What happened to Sicherheit?"

"He made a grave mistake," Alex replied.

Ben raised an eyebrow at him but didn't comment. Instead, he gestured for them to hurry up so they could catch up to Jones. Feeling quite ready to go home, neither of them looked back.

 **A/N: For some reason, I imagine Tamara's attitude to be somewhat like Tonks from Harry Potter. Maybe it's because they're both young women, especially for the work that they do, who actually enjoy their jobs in law enforcement without the pessimism that Alex has.**

 **Thanks for reading! Any thoughts on this chapter? Or guesses as to what will happen next? Please do follow, favorite, and/or leave a review on this story! Any responses to the story are greatly appreciated! :)**


	8. New Beginnings

**A/N: Thank you to the people who responded to the last chapter! This chapter actually took on a life of its own and ended up being quite long too. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! :)**

 **As a note, this story is now posted on Wattpad as well, if anyone likes using that site better.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider. That would be Anthony Horowitz.**

A lone figure carrying a duffle bag walked down the street in the late Wednesday evening. He had just gotten off the tube and his slouched posture spoke of a long and tiring day to match the grey sky. If anyone had been watching, they would have thought that it was just another schoolboy coming home from a particularly rough sports practice after a day at school. The neighbours knew better. They had watched the boy grow up with a housekeeper and an absent uncle. Until the uncle had died. After that, the boy was frequently away, just like his uncle, and came back looking more serious each time. Then, the housekeeper had died as well and a sign had been put up to indicate the house was for sale. Some people came by to dismantle what the neighbours assumed was a leased security system but the boy still never showed up. Since then, there had only been two potential buyers that had looked at the house. They never bought it so the "for sale" sign was still there. The neighbours didn't know what was going on in that house but sensed that they shouldn't get involved. They only shook their heads at the misfortunes of that family, feeling sorry for the poor boy, and carried on with their lives.

Alex trudged up the stairs of the front porch of his large Chelsea home and unlocked the door, not quite sure why he still had the key but glad that he did. He stepped into the entrance hall and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling some of the tension of the last two weeks fade. Letting the duffle bag drop to the floor with a small thud, Alex looked around the silent house, noting that nothing seemed to have changed. Everything was just as he and Jack had left it when they flew to Cairo. The only thing that was strange was the lack of dust in the house after nearly three months. Someone must have come in to clean regularly so that the house was presentable to potential buyers. Feeling hungry, Alex opened the fridge to see if there was anything edible in it. He jumped back immediately, hastily closing the door. The rotting smell coming from the fridge made him gag. Evidently, whoever came by to clean the house had never cleaned out the fridge. He would have to throw out the contents and go grocery shopping later. Tiredly, he rifled around the pantry and found some leftover cereal and canned tuna. They were the only edible things left in the house. Shrugging to himself, Alex hopped up onto the kitchen counter to eat his meager dinner. He didn't want to sit at the dinner table. It reminded him too much of mealtimes with Jack and he wasn't ready to face that yet. The dinner itself was already enough to bring back memories of how Jack would never cook meals that took more than ten minutes to make. The only difference was that Jack's meals still managed to taste delicious most of the time.

A drop of liquid soaked his cereal, startling Alex out of his thoughts. A single tear had rolled down his cheek. He hadn't realized that the memories of Jack, made stronger just by being in the house, had made his eyes well up. In the two months since her death, this was the first time he had let himself feel enough to cry. Chest heaving, Alex took in several ragged breaths and blinked back the tears threatening to stream down his face, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. He winced. The motion made his new bullet wound twinge and he gingerly let his arm down again, careful to keep it within his doctor's recommended range of movement. At least for now, he would follow the instructions he was given. He wanted to recover as fast as possible. Later though, he would probably get too restless.

After the MI6 helicopter reached England at around 1400 hours, he had been taken to St. Dominic's Hospital immediately. He wasn't surprised. He had been shot, among other visible injuries, so Jones would want to make sure that he was treated. And St. Dominic's was the preferred place for agents of MI6's Special Operations division to recover. It was one of London's most exclusive private hospitals, having a world class reputation. His previous stays at the hospital made him inclined to agree with the five star rating. Despite this, all he wanted to do was leave. Each time he had been treated at this hospital, it was because of injuries he had gotten from a mission. Each time, Jack had been there to comfort, support, and fret over him. This time, he was alone. Even MI6 wasn't around. Ben had been sent to do the paperwork for the mission they just finished and Mrs. Jones had only stayed long enough to make sure he would live. Being at the hospital made him painfully aware of what he had lost. His desire to leave as soon as he set foot in the building didn't matter though. Checking over every inch of his body, the doctors had found a hairline fracture on one of his ribs and suspected a concussion. It was the possible concussion that had the doctors keep him for observation until the evening. Other than that, there wasn't much to do about the split lip or bruises. His ribs had been examined with instructions to ice it and rest but the bullet wound had been treated further. He had been told that it was lucky he had been wearing the bulletproof windbreaker at the time. If the bullet had hit him a few inches to the side, it would have hit his chest but it would only have bruised. It hadn't though. Instead, the bullet had hit his arm where the sleeves of the windbreaker were only bullet resistant to give the wearer a larger range of motion. While the sleeves of the windbreaker couldn't stop the bullet completely at point blank range, it had slowed it down enough that the bullet hadn't penetrated his arm as deeply as it could have. Alex supposed he was also lucky that Sicherheit had been wounded enough to miss shooting at any fatal points that weren't protected. Although he didn't like to think about it, in the back of his mind, Alex also knew that his brief SCORPIA training had played a part in his survival.

Eventually, the doctors discharged him. With no instructions from MI6 and nowhere else to go, he had headed to his Chelsea home. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, or where he would be living, now that the mission was done. The head of MI6 hadn't even told Alex if it was safe for him or the Pleasures to return to their lives in America yet. His future was uncertain. It wasn't anything new. He would just have to deal with events as they happened like he had always done since his uncle's death.

Shaking himself out of his grim thoughts, Alex finished up his dinner and went upstairs to take a long, hot shower. It felt good to be able to wash off the grime and memories of the last couple of days. To have the water beating down on him, loosening his tired and sore muscles. To let his head rest against the wall with his eyes closed against the water, mind blank for once. When he finally got out of the shower, Alex felt more refreshed and clear-headed than he had since Cairo. He still needed sleep though. It had been over twenty four hours since he had last slept. Alex padded towards his old room and stopped at the doorway. Nothing had changed here either. The only things missing were a couple of photographs and a football signed by the Chelsea team. Those were the sole luxury possessions that had been important enough to take to America with him. Entering the room, Alex walked over to the bed and flopped down onto it. Almost immediately, his eyes grew heavy and he let the dark abyss of sleep take him.

 _A man with close-cut grey hair stared back at Alex with dead, pale blue eyes that were normally watchful. He was once a confident man. In a short amount of time, he had seemed to become smaller. Defeated._

 _"Why?" the man whispered. "You killed me! I could have made the world a better place and you would have lead it by my side. Why did you kill me!" he accused, betrayal colored his voice in a gradual crescendo._

 _"I didn't kill you," Alex whispered. "You killed yourself."_

 _"I loved you. And you said you would rather die than have a father like me," Sarov said. "Goodbye, Alex."_

 _And then, the man shot himself._

 _As Alex stared numbly at the man's face, heedless of the blood that had splattered onto himself, the body rose again and morphed into a boy. He was staring at his own face. And yet, it was not him. The gleeful malice of a maniac was too out of place to be himself._

 _"You killed my father!" the boy shouted. "And then, you killed me!"_

 _"Your father was going to kill so many innocent people," Alex argued. "I was just trying to stop him from getting away! And you were going to shoot me in the back first! You killed Jack!" he ended with a scream._

 _"Is that how you justify it? Self-defense? An eye for an eye?" Julius cackled, eyes lighting up in a way that promised his enjoyment of your pain. "How are you any different from those you fight? You're a monster," he whispered before a bullet slammed into the middle of his forehead, seemingly coming from nowhere to form a perfect hole. Alex knew his clone was right. And he hated himself for it. In the process of saving the world, his hands had been bloodied. He wondered if it was possible to do the job without sacrificing your soul. "You killed me," Julius' ghost echoed to him repeatedly until the rain-soaked body morphed again._

 _This time, he was staring at Sicherheit. The muscles in the man's body were taut with rage._

 _"All I wanted was a safer world and a son," Sicherheit hissed. "After all that I have done for the world, is it too much to ask?"_

 _"Blowing everything up isn't the way to do it," Alex said._

 _"And shooting me was your solution?" Sicherheit asked, reminding Alex of a teacher leading a debate class._

 _"You were going to kill me," Alex whispered._

 _"You killed me," Sicherheit snarled accusingly. Just like it had with Julius, a bullet slammed into the middle of the man's forehead. Another perfect hole. Alex stared as the flames from the fire he had set to destroy the USB licked at the man's body. Except it wasn't Sicherheit anymore. An achingly familiar red-headed woman rose from the flames._

 _"I loved and trusted you and you killed me," she accused._

 _"No, I didn't," Alex whispered, shaking his head frantically and trying to free himself from the restraints that had suddenly held him tight. "Julius Grief detonated the bomb."_

 _She laughed darkly. "You think that is what killed me? I would have been fine if you didn't go on those missions. If you hadn't succumbed to MI6's blackmail. I could be living in America with my parents right now."_

 _"There was nothing I could have done," Alex pleaded, hoping that she'd understand. Except he knew that she was right. He might not have detonated the bomb that killed her, but he had led her like a lamb to slaughter by going on those missions. He could have fought harder for her to stay in Chelsea instead of letting her come along with him to Egypt._

 _"You killed me," Jack whispered._

 _And then, she exploded, leaving nothing behind but ash._

 _"JACK!" Alex screamed, thrashing desperately against the restraints._

Alex bolted into a sitting position as the nightmare wrenched him from the restless sleep, tears streaming down his face and a silent scream stuck in his throat. Gasping for breath, his whole frame shook as he tried to calm himself down and get the suffocating pressure on his heart to loosen its grip. Before he managed that though, Alex rushed to the bathroom, retching into the toilet. When he was done, he rested his head against the wall for a long while before rinsing out his mouth. He headed back to his room to check the time. It read 2:30. He had only slept for about four hours. From experience, Alex knew that he wouldn't be sleeping any more tonight. He sighed and decided to make himself a cup of tea.

As he padded downstairs, the memory of the dream fed his morbid curiosity and he stopped to stare at the closed door at the far end of the hallway. Taking a deep breath, Alex turned back to stand before it. This was Jack's room. He had never been in there before. The two of them had had an unspoken agreement to respect each other's privacy. Tentatively, he opened the door. The room was unfamiliar to him. And yet, familiar at the same time. It was strange to see what she did with her personal space. Nothing was placed in a familiar way but everything about the room identified it as hers. It was neat and tidy, just like she would do with the rest of the house, but there were books and photographs everywhere. There were some photographs of her parents and her sister but most of them were of Alex, starting from when she first started to look after him. The pictures showed him at various ages, from seven years old to fourteen years old, just before Ian had died. Looking at this room, he was suddenly reminded of the fact that, despite his nightmare, Jack would never have blamed him for her death. In fact, she probably would have called him an idiot for even thinking it and then proceed to blame MI6 for everything, calling the intelligence agency every unpleasant name under the sun.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Alex whispered, still feeling guilty for her death and everything that he had put her through in the last year. Not being able to take it anymore, he closed the door gently and went downstairs, knowing that he wouldn't go into her room again for a long time.

A cup of tea in hand, Alex went to sit on the couch in the living room, sipping occasionally while still lost in thought. He sat there until his tea had long since grown cold and he had run out of things to think about, leaving him hollowly staring into space. It wasn't until a bird burst into song somewhere that he was startled into pulling himself together. Alex stood up to stretch out his muscles and felt his joints pop back into place after sitting motionless in one position for so long. Next, he worked on the exercises the doctor had prescribed for his ribs and bullet wound before heading back upstairs to brush his teeth, making a mental checklist of things to do that day. As he was changing his clothes to go out, Alex found some cash in the wallet he had left behind when he went to Egypt. Just enough to buy some food for a few days. Deciding it was sufficient, Alex left the house and took the tube to the nearest grocery store.

Halfway there, Alex got a prickly feeling on the back of his neck. It felt like someone had him in their sights and was following him. Although he didn't detect any danger from the attention, he still thought it was unnerving. Alex looked around surreptitiously, using the windows on the streets to examine his surroundings. He was rewarded with a flash of light reflecting off of a man's cufflink. Cheap suit and bland expression. A typical look for an MI6 agent. Sighing inwardly, Alex continued on towards the grocery store, not bothered enough to try to lose the agent. As much as he didn't like being followed, he supposed this was Mrs. Jones' way of showing that she took his safety seriously. It was better than the agency's previous treatment of him. At the very least, he could appreciate the effort she was making. That didn't mean he couldn't have some fun though, Alex thought as he put some vegetables and pasta into his shopping cart. Taking out the iPhone he still had from the mission, he discreetly took some photos of the agent and captioned it in a way he knew would get Smithers' attention. He had no doubt that the gadget master was still monitoring any activity on the phone and would send his findings to Jones. Feeling a lot lighter, Alex paid for his groceries and headed back home, taking some more photos of the agent along the way.

After his grocery run, Alex didn't leave the house again, preferring to stay inside with all the curtains drawn. Over the next three days, he developed a routine of alternating between eating, doing the prescribed exercises, sleeping, and waking up from nightmares with a silent scream. This routine was interrupted on Saturday night. When he went to sleep, he still had the same nightmare. This night, it only got as far as Julius' death though. As his clone's voice echoed its accusation, the dream faded into nothingness.

Alex was suddenly very much awake and on high alert. It seemed that even in sleep, he had sensed that something was wrong. He laid very still, heart pounding in his chest. There was a lithe figure in his peripheral vision. A Russian man with blond hair and empty, pale blue eyes was sitting at his desk, casually pointing a gun at him. The moonlight that filtered through a gap in the curtains illuminated a thin, straight line on the man's neck. The scar could have been drawn with a ruler. Yassen Gregorovich.

Mind racing, Alex slowly sat up and turned to face his intruder. He knew the Russian wouldn't kill him. If that had been the intention, he would already be dead, without ever waking up to realize his presence. After all, the man was one of the world's greatest assassins. Still, he was afraid. He didn't know where he stood with the man. The last time they had met, Yassen had refused to kill Alex and ended up taking a bullet to his chest for his trouble. Some of the last words the Russian had spoken, before he had supposedly died, had been to say that Alex's father, John Rider, had saved his life. That he loved both the father and the son so he could never have killed Alex. In hindsight, Alex could see the signs in the man's behavior that proved this to be true. There was just one problem. The man had believed that John Rider worked for SCORPIA. The truth was that Alex's father had been an MI6 spy in deep cover. And Alex didn't know if the man had found out yet. If he hadn't, Alex didn't want to be the one to tell him but he knew he owed it to the assassin to tell him the truth, whatever the consequences.

"You're looking good for a dead man," Alex said steadily.

"And you have been very busy," Yassen countered with no trace of an accent. His voice gave very little away. Alex couldn't tell what the man's emotions or intentions were. Gun still pointed at Alex, It was reminiscent of the time when their roles had been reversed on the assassin's yacht in the south of France.

"All thanks to you."

Yassen continued to stare at Alex impassively. "I did not make you provoke a powerful criminal organization."

"No. Only directed me to seek them out to 'find my destiny' and the truth about my father," Alex said sarcastically.

The man was silent for a long while. Only the occasional chirp of crickets could be heard in the night as Alex tried to guess the assassin's thoughts. It was nearly impossible to read him though. His body language and facial expressions gave nothing away. Alex was just about to give up on waiting for a reply when the man spoke again. "I do not remember that conversation."

Alex heard the unspoken command to tell him what had happened. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, anxious of the assassin's reaction to his count of events. "After Cray died, you told me about my father being an assassin and saving your life, resulting in that scar on your neck. And that I should go to Venice to find SCORPIA," Alex said quietly, as succinctly as he could to get it over with.

Yassen didn't react, just kept examining the boy in front of him. A long while later, Alex thought he saw a flicker of emotion in the depths of the Russian's eyes before he was staring at a blank mask again. It could have been pain or regret but it happened so fast that Alex wasn't even sure it was ever there in the first place. Finally, the man said just as quietly, "I should not have sent you to them. Your father's betrayal was enough to get you killed. You are lucky to still be alive. Even more so after your own betrayal."

"You know that my father was MI6?" Alex started.

"Yes. I found out after escaping MI6's custody two months ago," Yassen stated, mild amusement briefly flickering in his eyes. "There are many rumours of your activities. You have quite a reputation. Many want to see you dead."

"Are you going to kill me?"

Yassen cocked his head slightly at him before swiftly putting away his gun. "No."

Looking at the assassin confusedly, Alex wondered if it was a trap. Even though the gun was out of sight, he still didn't relax. Seeing this, the man asked in return, "Did I tell you how I got the scar?"

Alex shook his head, heart pounding in anticipation of hearing more about his father.

"A black widow spider had decided my throat was a good resting place on a mission with Hunter," Yassen said in a measured voice. Alex guessed that Hunter was his father's code name in the field. "We were sent to kill a drug dealer in the Amazon jungle and we would only get one chance. Your father found an angle to kill the spider and our target with that single shot."

"What are you trying to say?"

The assassin considered him for a moment before explaining matter-of-factly, "It was an impossible situation. I thought that I would die for sure but at least the mission would succeed. Many people in this line of work would not have bothered to even think about helping their partner. Your father working as a spy only makes it more remarkable."

Alex nodded in understanding, relieved that the assassin didn't want revenge. "What are you doing here then?"

"I once told you to stay out of this business. You have done that for two months. Now, I hear that you are back in the field. Are you going to continue working for MI6?"

"I don't know." Alex didn't know if it was an option. Or if he even had any options.

Yassen seemed to sense this. The next question was, "Do you want to continue working for them?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Alex really wasn't sure. He didn't want to keep being used and manipulated by the intelligence agencies but he knew it was also too late for him to completely back out of this world. There was nothing about the assassin that indicated a preference but Alex knew anyway that the man clearly didn't want him to continue in espionage. Would the man kill him if Alex wanted to continue? Would he bring the news to SCORPIA? Would he try to recruit Alex? Or would he keep the information to himself and leave Alex alone?

"Choose," Yassen commanded.

Bewildered, Alex regarded the assassin warily before asking, "What would happen if I said yes?"

"Is that your answer?"

Alex stayed silent. But it was enough of an answer for the man. "Very well," Yassen said emotionlessly. "I will train you whenever I can stop by without arousing suspicion. We will start with meditation and combat breathing tonight to help get your nightmares under control."

Staring at the man in shock, Alex could only utter a single word. "Why?"

Yassen studied the teen silently, still expressionless even if his eyes appeared to have softened slightly. Seeming to come to a decision, the man told him, "Even though your father knew we were on opposite sides, he did not just save my life. He taught me how to survive. He taught me how to thrive. I will do the same for you."

"I think your debt was already paid when you took that bullet after refusing to kill me," Alex said dryly. "How did you survive anyways? I watched you die."

"I had a bullet resistant vest underneath my clothes. MI6 managed to revive me," Yassen simply said. Alex understood what that meant. The vest would have prevented the more serious damage that the bullet would have resulted in if the man hadn't been wearing it. Just like with his own bullet wound in his arm. Yassen had still passed out from blood loss though. "As for training you," the man continued in his impassive tone, "I am not doing it because of the debt or because you are John Rider's son. I am doing it because of you."

 _I love you too, Alex._ That was what the Russian had said as he was dying on Air Force One. Suddenly, Alex understood that the man was going to train him because, despite being a ruthless, cold-blooded contract killer, he had somehow found it in himself to care about Alex as a person. Not because Alex reminded him of John Rider, his savior and the man he worshipped.

"Okay," Alex agreed, knowing it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that he needed it. This would also give him the opportunity to build his contacts on both sides of the law. It would be useful if he ever needed it. He supposed that he could thank Sicherheit for giving him this idea. Without his contacts, Sicherheit wouldn't have been able to implement his plans as easily. "But I'm not training to be an assassin." He paused. Suddenly, Alex had a chilling thought and, keeping his voice even, he asked, "What happened to the agents watching the house?"

"They are merely unconscious and should wake up by dawn," Yassen assured him, amusement flickering in his eyes once more. "I have also searched the house for bugs and your phone is downstairs to prevent anyone from knowing about my presence. You will learn precautionary measures like these later."

Switching into what was clearly lecture mode, the man instructed, "For now, sit in a comfortable position and we will start with combat breathing. It is also called tactical breathing or box breathing. If you have just had a nightmare or you are in a high stress situation, this will help you to calm down and clear your mind by resetting your nervous system. The formula is simple and you will follow my instructions as I give them to you. Breathe in for a count of four…. Hold your breath for a count of four…. Breath out for a count of four…. Hold your breath for a count of four… And repeat the cycle until you are calm. Practice it every day. It will help you control your emotions better at any point in time."

As Alex diligently followed the instructions he was given, he could feel his heart rate slow down. The breathing exercise made him feel more refreshed as the increased oxygen in his bloodstream cleared his mind and gave him more energy. They repeated this a few more times before Yassen moved on to teaching him concentration and mindfulness meditation, stating that it would help him to organize his thoughts and work through problems better without his emotions clouding his judgement. In turn, that would help his psychological state and bring the nightmares under control. Alex thought that this might have been the man's way of commenting on his past rash actions in response to dangerous situations. After spending an hour on each type of meditation, the man instructed him on how to reach deep meditation.

At the end of it, golden rays of light filtered through the gap in the curtain as the sun started to rise. Alex couldn't remember a time when he had felt calmer than he did in this moment. As they got up from their places, Yassen ordered him, "Practice everything I teach you daily. The meditation can be useful when you are on a mission where it is not wise to let down your guard. Even though it cannot replace sleep, it will substitute it in the short term by letting your body and mind rest."

Alex nodded, making a mental note to himself to remember this bit of information in case he ever needed it, and Yassen reached into his pocket to pull out a simple, black phone. Handing the phone to Alex, the man instructed him, "I need to leave now and will not be back for some time. This is a secure phone. As long as you keep the call under four minutes, no one will be able to trace it. My number is already in there. Use it to contact me. If you text me, keep the message vague. Make sure to check it regularly."

The man paused and seemed to sharpen his focus on Alex before commanding, "And think about what your terms are for working for the intelligence agencies. Now that they have very little leverage over you, they will not be able to manipulate you as easily if you already know what you want. This world is all about price. If you want to survive in it, you need to play the game. That includes keeping track of debts to repay and call upon. You have more power and value than you think. Make your price known."

This time, Alex had barely finished nodding before the assassin had disappeared off to wherever he needed to be. Dazed at the suddenness of the man's departure, Alex looked down at the phone he was given and decided to keep it on him at all times. As long as nothing incriminating was on the phone, no one would be able to connect it back to the assassin.

Over the next few days, Alex incorporated Yassen's instructions into his routine, waiting for the inevitable call from MI6. He knew they would call. It might not be for a mission, but they would want to debrief him and talk about his future at the very least. By the time the call came on Wednesday morning to request his presence at the Royal and General Bank, Alex had worked out his price and was ready make those demands if they were needed.

Getting off the tube, he made his way over to the bank on Liverpool Street and skirted the dark spot on the sidewalk where his blood had stained it permanently. When he walked into the lobby, Mrs. Jones was already waiting for him and they silently took the elevator up to the sixteenth floor, where the woman was now occupying the office designated for the head of MI6's Special Operations division.

It was only when Mrs. Jones went to sit behind the desk and Alex took the seat in front of her that the head of MI6 spoke.

"Alex, I realize that you probably don't want to be here any longer than you have to. I will make this debriefing as short as possible. This time, Joe Byrne will be joining us though," she said while popping a peppermint into her mouth and turning her screen on to show the deputy director of the CIA.

"Alex! I'm glad you're still alive. Once again, you've done a remarkable job. The fallout if Sicherheit had succeeded would have been disastrous. The western countries would have been in shambles from the explosions in addition to the death toll from the cyanide in the nanocapsules. The drugs even reached as far as Asia," Byrne said through the screen. Pausing as though a thought had just occurred to him, he said, "Also, we owe you for saving Agent Knight's life."

Alex nodded and shifted uncomfortably at the thought of the CIA owing him before he remembered Yassen's advice about debts. "I'll make sure to remember that," Alex said dryly.

Both of the heads detected this shift and wondered about it but didn't say anything. Instead, Byrne said, "Let's get on with the debriefing, shall we?"

In response, Jones explained to Alex, "When we lost the tracker's signal, we had no idea where to start looking for you. An area near Buckingham Palace had just blown up and my agents were scattered, trying to deal with the security surrounding that. It would seem that the bombing there was only to serve as a distraction to lose anyone tracking you, not actually injure people. Our technology comes from Sicherheit's company so it took Smithers a long time to find a way around the signal jammer without alerting Sicherheit. The intelligence world has realized its mistake of only having one major supplier. It will not be repeated. By the time Smithers was able to locate you again, you were already in Germany. Agent Daniels and his team were in the air shortly afterwards. We were lucky that we were able to tune into your conversation with Sicherheit when you asked about SCORPIA's nanotechnology. As soon as I heard that, I notified Joe and the German intelligence, BND, while listening to the rest of your conversation."

At this point, Jones let out a sigh before continuing. "You have no idea how much of a nightmare it was to obtain permission from the Germans to mount an operation. Joe and his people were a huge help as they were already in the country."

"By the time Agent Daniels and his team arrived at Sicherheit's headquarters, my agents had already been watching the building for awhile," Byrne told him, taking over the explanation. "But we had no idea what was happening inside the building, no idea when the right time to move in would be. In addition, without BND's permission, we could be starting a political war if we acted without concrete evidence of an emergency."

"It wasn't until you found Agent Knight and I was able to send a recording of your conversation with her to the BND that they realized how much trouble we were all in and gave us the green light, adding their own agents to the operation to search the Bundestag," Jones said quietly.

"Politics seems to be a pain," Alex commented. He remembered how much the politicians at the COBRA meeting for Invisible Sword had talked and gotten nowhere until Alex and a medical scientist had chipped in.

"It is," Jones agreed. "The BND were quite interested to hear that you were involved. That interest made them listen long enough to hear the situation in your own words as you were relaying it to Agent Knight. Otherwise, they would not have known what was at stake."

Alex raised an eyebrow at this. That was news to him. Maybe Yassen was right. Maybe he did have more power than he believed, in more ways than one. He wasn't comfortable with it but he knew it had its advantages.

"When Agent Knight succeeded in carrying out your plan to create a diversion, our teams heard the explosion and met up with her as she was leaving the building to call for back up. We didn't dare go in any sooner in case it put both of you in more danger than you were already in or made Sicherheit act sooner than he had planned. The rest, you know." Jones paused and then asked him, "Is there anything we should know about the situation that happened before we got the signal back?"

Alex thought for a moment before saying, "Klaus. I trained with him when I was with SCORPIA." His eyes darted to Jones, quickly checking if he had crossed a line by revealing that information to Byrne. "It turns out he is Sicherheit's grandnephew and stole the documents I gave you. He also made the assassination attempt in San Francisco to try for a quick promotion. It wasn't an order from SCORPIA. He escaped during the fight with the cartel and triads."

Both of the heads nodded and jotted down some notes, presumably to follow up on later.

"Now that the debriefing is done, we'd like to talk to you about your situation," Jones stated, putting down her pen and looking at him once again.

And there it was, Alex thought. The point where his future was decided, whether through circumstance or manipulation. He had lost track of the number of times Blunt and Jones had decided his future for him in this very office. Byrne's presence was a new one though.

"As I said before, SCORPIA has agreed to our terms. That has not changed. However, we have conducted further negotiations with the triads. Sicherheit killed their own people while they worked for him. They see your hand in his death as a redeeming factor so they have now agreed to leave you alone in return for one of their members that we had in custody," Jones informed him.

"As for the Pleasures," Byrne added, "they are safe and have returned to living in their home. You might be interested to know that Agent Roberts became a mole because he had a gambling problem and owed the triads a lot of money. Agent Knight's cover was one of many that were blown because of him. He is now serving a life sentence for treason."

"Your friend, Tom, is also safe," Jones said quietly. "I have had an agent tailing him at all times since your request for it. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened."

Alex nodded, glad that no one had been hurt. This time, he thought darkly.

Studying Alex, Jones pulled out a plane ticket from her drawer and pushed it towards him. "Your flight back to America leaves tonight. I'm sure the Pleasures are anxious to see you."

Alex stared at the ticket, not quite believing that MI6 was just going to let him go. Did he want them to let him go? When Yassen had made him choose, he had already decided that he couldn't leave this world. He could find some other way of being involved without working for MI6 though. Alex knew that if it were Blunt, he would be on a plane to his next mission already. Did he have a choice this time? His decision would probably decide the rest of his life. He would just have to take his chances. I'm sorry, Jack, Alex thought, praying that she would understand.

Taking a deep breath, Alex looked up at Jones and calmly said, "No. I'm not going back."

Both of the heads stared at him, surprised at his resistance. Not that anyone could tell the difference. Their perpetually blank expressions hadn't changed. Without looking at each other, the heads both opened their mouths at the same time to reason with him.

Alex beat them to it. He held up a hand and, giving them a determined look, firmly said, "Listen to me for once."

Their jaws snapped shut and they had a faint expression of guilt on their faces, Jones especially well aware that she had never really listened to him. They nodded curtly for him to continue.

"I always wanted a normal life. I've made it clear that I never wanted to work for any of you. But after all these missions, I don't think I can leave it all behind. I tried to in America, living with the Pleasures. And I've felt more alive in the last two weeks than I have the whole time I was in the States."

There was a long silence as Alex waited for the heads to say something. Anything. Were they happy? Disappointed? He couldn't tell what they were thinking.

At last, Jones unwrapped another peppermint and said quietly, "I was afraid that this would happen. Danger can be a drug. It seems that you are already hooked. When you were shot outside of our headquarters, I made Alan promise me that we wouldn't use you again. Of course, he never did keep the promise. I have done what I can to keep you out of this line of work while balancing the safety of this country. Espionage is no place for children. You are fifteen years old now, still a child in the eyes of society. And yet, I think it is too late for you to continue being a child or for us to treat you like one. You matured past that a long time ago."

"That being said, if you are not going back to America, Alex, then what do you want to do?" Byrne asked.

"I'll stay in London. Go back to school. Try to get my GCSEs if I can after all the classes I've missed. In about a year, I could legally work for MI6, if you'll take me."

Jones nodded slowly, reluctantly giving her approval, while Byrne sighed before asking, "Would you like to speak to the Pleasures? I could get them on this video call right now."

"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Byrne." Alex was touched by the gesture of allowing him to contact the people he cared about.

"Joe," the man corrected, a wan smile on his face.

Alex hesitated, still uncomfortable with the familiarity of calling the deputy director by his given name, before repeating, "Thank you, Joe." He made a mental note to remember the man's preference of Alex using his first name. It would be tedious if Byrne corrected him every time they spoke to each other.

Giving a quick nod, Byrne's face disappeared from the screen and the Pleasure family appeared not long after.

"Alex!" Sabina exclaimed. "We've been so worried! The CIA already told us everything was back to normal a few days ago. Are you alright? Where have you been? When are you coming back?"

Liz Pleasure smiled fondly at her daughter while gently chiding, "One question at a time, honey. Let Alex breathe."

"Hey, Sab," Alex greeted them with a sad smile. "Mr. and Mrs. Pleasure." A nod each to Edward and Liz. Knowing this was going to be hard for all of them, he hesitated. Then, taking a deep breath, he said quietly, "I'm alright. It's good to know that you're all safe. I've been staying at my house in Chelsea and I've decided that I'm not going back to America."

The Pleasures paled at this news. A heartbeat of silence passed. Then, Sabina shouted at the heads, "No. Hasn't he already done enough for you? You can't make - !"

"Sab, "Alex interrupted, swallowing hard. "They're not making me do anything. For once, this is completely my own choice."

Sabina looked at him in betrayal, angry that he would willingly go back to the very people who had ruined his life. "Why? Haven't you suffered enough?"

"I can't just sit back anymore when I know I can help. I never was able to. And we both know that a normal life wasn't working for me." Looking each of the Pleasures in the eyes, he emphasized, "Thank you for everything that all of you have done for me. You took me in when I was broken and gave me the space and care that I needed to heal. It helped me more than you will ever know. But I need to do this. I just hope that you won't hate me for it."

"Of course we won't hate you for it," Edward assured him, finally finding his voice after the shock from the news. "We could never hate you. I hope you know what you're doing though."

"You're welcome to come to us anytime," Liz added, tears starting to well up in her eyes. "If you need a place to stay, a person to talk to, anything… you just have to say it."

Alex nodded in gratitude, thankful that there were people who cared so much about him. He knew that he would limit his interactions with them though. They had already been too involved in the dangers of his life as it was. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a next time.

"I don't suppose there's anything I can say or do to change your mind?" Sabina asked, putting on a brave face.

"No," came his soft reply.

So, Sabina nodded and said with forced cheerfulness, "Well, the next time you're on vacation, you better finish having that picnic with me!"

Alex smiled. "Of course."

"I suppose this is goodbye for now," Edward said. "Do you want me to send over your belongings?"

"Yes, please. That would be great."

Edward nodded. "Good luck then. Don't do anything stupid. And keep in touch."

"Remember, you'll always have a place with us," Liz said.

Alex nodded and the Pleasures turned to leave. Just before they disappeared off the screen, Sabina murmured, "Goodbye, Alex. Stay alive."

"Goodbye," Alex whispered.

The next moment, Byrne appeared on the screen again.

"I will arrange for the transportation of your belongings, Alex," he said. "But for now, I have another meeting. If you're going to continue in this line of work, then I look forward to working with you again. Until next time," he finished with a two finger salute.

The screen blinked off, leaving the office silent as the two occupants in the room waited for the other to speak. Jones was trying to gauge the mental state of the teen in front of her but soon realized that, for once, she couldn't read anything from him. She was afraid to know if this was because he had become adept at hiding his emotions or if he had shut down. She hoped it was the former. At least that would mean he could continue surviving in this world, even if the reason for the development of this ability was unpleasant.

Finally, Jones said, "If you are going to stay in England, then we need to find you a guardian. Do you have any suggestions?"

"You're going to let me choose?" Alex asked suspiciously.

"I know that we have not treated you well in the past but I want you to know that we are not the enemy, Alex. As I said before, you should no longer be treated like a child. With that, comes responsibility and choice."

Something about her tone made Alex feel like there was a larger message behind it. That she wasn't just talking about his guardianship situation. "So, what are you saying?" Alex replied slowly.

"Put more plainly, you should have the right to choose your own path and deal with the results like an adult. That includes choosing your own guardian. In addition, I want to make it clear that if we need you for another mission, there will be no more manipulation. You will have the choice to accept or refuse, no strings attached. Like you said, we can legally employ you in about a year when you turn sixteen. The way we have used you is not how our organization usually operates. I'd like you to know what the standard is before you make the decision to legally work for us."

Alex nodded slowly, analyzing Jones' words for any deceit or hidden meanings. While he couldn't detect any deceit, he also knew that it would be unlikely for him to do so. Not until he had more training and experience. He did, however, see one possible hidden meaning.

Staring hard at the head of MI6, he casually asked, "Do you already have a mission for me?"

Jones stayed silent, weighing her options. Finally, she came to a decision and revealed, "Yes. In fact, I have a few but they do not require immediate field work. There are still some things we need to take care of before that happens." She paused, thinking about how much to tell him, and then added, "Word of your involvement with stopping Sicherheit has travelled fast. We have already received requests for your service from MI6's Black Operations division, MI5, and BND."

Alex raised an eyebrow while sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms. It had only been a week since his fight with Sicherheit. He knew the rumours had spread fast. Yassen had already proved that. But he was surprised at the demand for his work. "I'm not working for Black Ops."

"Noted."

"What are the missions for MI5 and BND?"

Jones hesitated before saying, "I think it would be best if we left that to a later date. Until we know more about what the missions entail, we won't be able to determine which one is more suited for you."

"Alright. You say that I should be treated like an adult. Does that include negotiating employment conditions?"

"Of course."

Alex took a moment to compose his thoughts, remembering the conditions that he had come up with in the last few days. "Since you already have other missions for me before I'm legally employed, my terms, if you agree to them, start now. Otherwise, I'll find somewhere else to work."

Jones nodded, both in agreement and for him to continue.

"First, no more lying to me. That includes lying by omission. If I find out you've lied to me, I will no longer work for you. Employed or loaned."

"Agreed."

"Second, I get full, proper training. Preferably before I get sent on another mission. If not, I suppose training in between missions will do. And I get a say in what additional training I receive."

Jones hesitated. "I'm not sure that's possible. Keeping your involvement with us under wraps is important and already difficult enough."

Alex gave her a look. "If you can drop me into the middle of an SAS training camp for eleven days after drugging and kidnapping me, I think you can manage giving me the rest of the training." Pausing, he continued bitterly, "Besides, if I had had the proper training, then maybe Wolf wouldn't have been shot on Point Blanc. Maybe Ben wouldn't have been shot on Dragon Nine. Maybe Jack would still be alive."

The last part had faded into a whisper and was what made the decision for Jones. "Alright, you'll get the training."

Satisfied, Alex cleared his throat and kept going with his list. "Third, you provide a tutor for me to catch up with whatever schoolwork I have missed because of missions. I'm no use to you if I can't even get my GCSEs."

"Done."

"Fourth, I get to carry weapons around with me at all times while you provide protection for the school as well as my friends when I'm not around. Even though you've made deals with SCORPIA and the triads, I think that the incidents with Desmond McCain and Klaus prove that I'm still a target."

Jones stayed silent, clearly not liking this condition at all even if the teen did have a point. No matter what his mental age, he was still legally a minor. Weapons would only bring unwanted attention and result in a political headache if things went wrong. She knew she had to somehow meet his demands if she wanted to keep him with MI6 though. "How about this," Jones compromised, "we will provide protection but you carry Smithers' gadgets instead of weapons until you are legally employed by us."

Alex thought for a moment. "Alright," he conceded. A pause. Then, his eyes brightened. "Do I get to choose which gadgets?"

Jones pursed her lips. "Within reason."

Nodding, Alex went on with his terms. "Fifth, when you do legally employ me, I get full agent status with all the pay and benefits of one. I get access to the same things that other agents do. Like clearance level and back up. I also get back pay for all the missions I've done from before."

"Fair enough. You do realize that having full agent status includes doing paperwork and talking to our psychologists for assessments and therapy, among other things?"

Alex stopped short. "Yes." He knew there were duties like these that he had to fulfill even if he didn't like it. He would deal with them when they came. For now, he went on to say, "And lastly, grant me legal emancipation. I don't need a guardian."

Jones stared at him. She hadn't expected that one. "I don't think that's a good idea. You haven't reached the age of majority yet and this would draw more attention to you."

"My absences at school have drawn more attention than this ever would."

"I would feel better if you had someone else living with you."

"If I can take care of myself on missions, then I think a little cooking and laundry should be no problem," Alex countered dryly.

"Fine. I'll take the house off the market and get someone in to reinstall the security." As much as Jones didn't like Alex not having a guardian, she knew it was a lost battle. All in all, his terms weren't bad. They were well thought out and beneficial to both parties in the long run. Other teens would probably have asked for a car, permission to permanently leave school, or something just as rash, she mused. "Now that you have finished with your terms, I have one for you."

Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised that there was only one, but waited for her to go on.

"If you are going to be an agent, you will have to follow orders and procedures."

Alex hesitated. He had orders to leave Damian Cray alone but he had pursued the matter anyways. It was a good thing he did too. Otherwise, many countries would have been a nuclear wasteland. Because of this, and the blackmail, he didn't trust orders but knew he had no choice with this one. He could try to minimize some of the damage that following orders might do though. "And if you aren't listening to me and another Damian Cray happens?"

Jones pursed her lips again before saying tersely, "Then you are free to work independently for your self-appointed mission. But do not expect support from us."

Alex nodded again. That was as good as he would get from her.

"One other thing. If you are going to continue working for us, legally or not, then I want you meet my deputy head." Jones pressed a button on her office phone and a grey-haired man with a large nose and deep set brown eyes limped in not long after. "This is David Morris," she introduced. "He was a very successful field agent but switched to desk work after a mission resulted in his left leg being amputated. David is filling the role of deputy head until an appropriate candidate can be found or he retires, whichever comes first."

Addressing the man, she said, "This is Alex Rider. He has been very useful in the last year and has agreed to continue working for us as long as we meet his terms."

David Morris turned to study Alex. "So this is the famous Alex Rider. You are certainly even younger than the rumours have said," he remarked with a hint of disgust.

Alex shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny while Jones coughed and replied, "Yes, well, there were… extenuating circumstances."

The man nodded. "If that is all…"

"Yes, it is."

Morris turned on his heel and swiftly left the office. A beat of silence followed, just long enough for the door to close. Then, Jones said quietly, "Don't mind him. It's nothing personal. He is upset that someone so young was used."

Alex sighed internally. He had a feeling that this would happen a lot. "You want me to convince him that I can handle it, don't you?"

"Yes. It would make working together much easier," Jones admitted. "Is there anything else we should discuss before we end this meeting?"

He examined Jones for a minute. "Is there anything you want to tell me? Maybe something relevant to my past?" Alex prodded.

She was silent, trying to figure out what he was getting at. She did have something that she ought to tell him but couldn't bring herself to do it. Besides, he couldn't possibly know about the Russian's survival. "No," she finally answered.

He considered her carefully. So that was how it was going to go, Alex thought. If that was how she wanted to play it, then he was just going to keep his dealings with Yassen a secret. He mentally snorted. Withholding information was a _great_ way to start a new working relationship. He knew that his condition of no more lies would never be truly fulfilled. After all, lying is what this line of work required. But he had hoped that the term wouldn't be broken quite so soon. In this case, it didn't matter though. He already knew what she was withholding and it worked to his advantage. Eventually, he said, "Alright. I guess that's it. Although, if you want to have an agent tailing me after I leave the building, maybe they should be more competent."

Jones coughed. "Yes, they should. The agent you took photos of has been sent for retraining."

With that, Alex left the office to head home. Jones watched him go, still surprised at how the meeting had turned out. She had expected him to be on a flight back to America tonight. Instead, she got his promise of service and a list of terms to meet to keep that service. Her time with MI6 had made her a very hard person to surprise but it seemed that the teen always managed to do just that. She opened her top drawer, taking out a file that she had already read many times and memorized. It was Alex's file, put there to remind her of mistakes that she had made in the past. The file was several inches thick, bigger than any other regular personnel file. And the whole thing represented those mistakes. It was a file that should never have existed. And yet, replaying the meeting they just finished in her head, she wondered if it was truly a mistake in the long run.

 **A/N: Yassen is back! I always thought it was weird that an assassin of his calibre, who was always so meticulously careful, wouldn't have taken any precautionary measures to increase his chances of survival if someone ever tried to kill him. It felt like he died too easily in the books. Even though he is supposed to be a villain, I still love him as much as I love Alex. That's probably a good indicator of how well Anthony Horowitz wrote the character.**

 **Also, I'm not quite sure where the fandom got the idea that Alex is a very bad patient but it is in quite a few fanfics I've read. From what I remember in the books, particularly the beginning of Ark Angel, he seems to be quite cooperative until circumstances or restlessness get to him. That being said, I can see him being uncooperative while around people he has a bad history with.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please do follow, favorite, and/or leave a review. You can even PM me if you want! I would love to hear your thoughts about the chapter and/or story so far, whether it is praise or criticism!**


	9. Down Time Ends

**A/N:** **Thank you to the people who have followed, favorited, reviewed, and/or PM'd me since the last chapter! As a writer, it means a lot, even if you just leave a guest review! It lets me know if I'm on the right track, what people want to see, and how many people are interested in the story. Depending on the response by the end of this story, I might write a sequel too. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

Alex groaned as the sound of a phone ringing woke him up. Rolling over to look at the clock, he was surprised to see that it was nine o'clock on a Saturday morning. He had gotten a full eight hours of sleep, the first in a long time. It seemed that the meditation had helped a lot. He still had nightmares that left him covered in sweat but it wasn't bad enough to wake him up and send him retching into the toilet anymore. Rolling onto his back again, he ignored the ringing phone, thinking that Jack would get it. Then, he froze and his heart clenched painfully as he remembered that Jack wasn't around anymore. Sighing, he got up, blinked away the last remnants of sleep from his bleary eyes, and padded downstairs to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Your presence is requested at the Royal and General Bank to discuss your account," a female voice said emotionlessly on the phone.

"I'll be there."

The dial tone was all that could be heard as soon as Alex finished his reply. He stared at the phone, slowly putting it back in its place. Typical intelligence agencies, Alex thought. They never bothered with niceties. It had only been three days since his meeting with Jones. He wondered what he was being called in for this time. Shrugging, he went upstairs to do his meditations before getting ready for the day. He would find out what Jones wanted when he got to the bank.

A couple of hours later, he found himself being led by Morris, in stony silence, to Jones' office. Morris clearly didn't like his presence and that was fine with him. Alex knew Jones wanted him to convince the man to accept him but he just couldn't be bothered at the moment. In any case, he didn't know how to do that yet. Rapping sharply on Jones' door, Morris opened it without waiting for a reply and gestured for him to go in. The door closed behind him, leaving Alex alone with the head of MI6.

"Alex, take a seat," Jones said. As he sat down, Jones pushed an envelope towards him. "These are the documents for your legal emancipation. Now that you are no longer MI6's ward, the documents for the trust fund that Ian left for you is also included. You have full access to it. In addition, the Rider family has always made investments and owned several properties. Those are also yours now. The documents in there will detail everything."

Alex looked at Jones in surprise. He had known about the trust fund but this was the first time he was hearing about the investments and properties. Slowly taking the documents out of the envelope, he flicked through them. Apparently, there were mutual funds portfolios in England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The properties were in the same countries and most of them looked like safehouses. All of these countries were ones where Alex could speak their language with some degree of proficiency, if not speaking like a native. Looking up at Jones again, he asked, "How many people knew about the investments and properties?"

"Only Alan and myself."

At least the safehouses were unlikely to be compromised. Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He would have to add learning to manage these assets to his list of things to do. "Do you know where I can find someone to help me make sense of all this?"

"We can find someone to teach you." She paused. "Actually, this would be beneficial for us too. As our cover is a bank, the knowledge would make your eventual cover as an overseas finance manager more believable."

Alex nodded. That was one thing he didn't have to worry about then. It made sense and he would have been surprised if Jones didn't have an ulterior motive for helping him with his newly acquired finances. He wondered if Ian had ever taken financial management courses.

"There is something else," Jones continued. "In order to meet your terms for training before your next mission, you will start in a couple of days. For security reasons, I want the knowledge of your involvement with us to be kept to as few people as possible. K-Unit is back from Baghdad and their rest period is nearly over. They will be at Brecon Beacons for one month doing a refresher course. You will be joining them for training."

"What about school?" Alex asked. He hadn't expected training to come up quite so soon, especially since this would make him fall further behind in his classes. He had missed the last month of his Year 10 studies in England and had only attended a month of classes in America. In England, it was already nearing the autumn half term break. Even now, there would be a lot to catch up on when he went back to classes at Brookland Comprehensive School to start his Year 11.

"A tutor will be sent to Brecon Beacons to help you catch up on your regular studies as well as giving you extra lessons that will be useful in this line of work. You should be caught up by the time you return to school in January for the start of spring term."

Alex raised an eyebrow. The last part told him all he needed to know about Jones' plans for him for the next two months. Either he would be training extensively or he would be on a mission. Or both. He wasn't looking forward to his reunion with K-Unit. Their reaction to him staying with them for eleven days of SAS training last time was bad enough. If he was going to be spending two months with them, then he needed to mentally prepare himself. "Anything I should know before going to Brecon Beacons?"

Jones considered him for a moment before saying, "I noticed your uncertainty when you mentioned your involvement with SCORPIA during the debriefing. If you are questioned about the Invisible Sword incident, you should use the cover that Alan gave you. In fact, no one at the camp is to know the details of any of your missions." She opened her top drawer and drew out a thin file, pushing it towards him. "This is a heavily edited version of your file. It will be read by the sergeant and your unit. I want you to go through it and see if there is anything else you would like to remove before I send it over to Brecon Beacons. While they read your file, you will also be reading K-Unit's."

Alex pulled it towards him, curious as to what his file contained, and stared. He could see why no one was to know much about him. Without seeing his full file, he already knew there was a lot of information missing. Still, he went through it thoroughly, picking up a pen on the desk and crossed out some more things. When he was finished, he handed it back to Jones.

Accepting the file, Jones said, "A car will be sent to take you to Brecon Beacons. Tell the driver 'it's a fine day to go for a run'. If he responds with 'I'd rather go for swim', you can get in. Any other response, then you need to alert us and get out of there. Be ready at 0800 hours on Monday."

Recognizing the dismissal, Alex nodded and got to his feet. He left without a backward glance, already making a mental list of things he needed to do before he resumed SAS training. Among these things was a visit to a certain small boy with spiky, black hair and blue eyes. The boy, Tom Harris, was one of his best friends and the only person at school who knew about Alex's involvement with MI6. His friend deserved to know what was going on. He was going to talk to him at school on Monday but that wouldn't be possible anymore. Taking the familiar route to Tom's house, he hoped that it wasn't a bad time to go calling. The last he heard was that Tom was living with his mother after his father walked out. Tom's parents had been going through a messy divorce and after being away for so long, Alex had no idea what the current situation was. As he reached the house, Alex paused, suddenly nervous about seeing his friend. They hadn't had any contact for almost four months now. He wondered if Tom would be mad at him. The boy had good reason to be. Pulling himself together, Alex raised a hand and rang the doorbell.

It only took a moment for the door to open. The boy stared in shock. Then, his face morphed into anger. "What the hell, Alex?! The last time I saw you, the school was being shot at and I had a bullet go through my arm! A month later, we were told that you were moving to America! I don't even get a text to tell me you're back in the country?!" He paused. And then, "How long have you been back?!"

"Sorry, Tom," Alex winced, knowing how bad of a friend he had been since Ian's death. "Things were…," he struggled to come up with an accurate description that would tell his friend there was a good reason without letting eavesdroppers know about his secret life. He finally settled on, "A lot worse than usual."

Understanding that it had something to do with MI6, Tom suddenly deflated and waved Alex inside. Once the door was closed, he said, "Alright, you can talk. My mom is out so we're alone right now."

Alex nodded, glad that his best friend understood him enough to know he wasn't going to talk where anyone could eavesdrop on their conversation. As they went upstairs to Tom's messy bedroom, Alex explained emotionlessly, "I was sent to Cairo and Jack went with me. Blunt didn't tell us that SCORPIA was involved. None of us, not even Blunt, knew it was a setup from the start. SCORPIA already had my location and undercover details. In the end, Jack was blown up, trying to find a way to get both of us out of SCORPIA's grasp. They made me watch."

Tom stayed silent throughout the explanation. When Alex mentioned SCORPIA, he went pale and wanted to curse out everyone that had dragged his friend into that world but he held his tongue to listen to the rest of it. Just as he thought it couldn't get worse, he was told that his best friend had been forced to watch as his guardian, best friend, and sister was murdered. He had only met Jack a few times but he knew the cheerful American had meant the world to Alex. Tom had liked the fiery red headed woman as well. The few times that he had met Jack, she had let him stay the night when his parents' fights had gotten too bad and cared for him like an older sister. He couldn't stay mad at his best friend for this.

"Are you okay?" Tom asked, not knowing how else to gauge his friend's mental state.

Nodding, Alex said, "The Pleasures became my guardians. That's why I moved to America. Even though they weren't prepared to deal with my problems, they've helped me to heal a lot."

"Where are they now?"

"Still in America," Alex answered with a sad smile on his face. "They're better off without me. A few weeks ago, there was a threat on my life as well as theirs. Because of this, I had Mrs. Jones send an agent to tail you while I went on another mission. I got back from that a week and a half ago and decided that I'm going to continue working for MI6."

Tom stared at Alex, then shrugged. If his friend thought he could do it, he would support the decision. Besides, if there was anyone their age that could handle the stress of that world, it was Alex. Brightening, Tom said cheerfully, "So, I'll see you on Monday then? We've only got a week until autumn half term starts. I can't wait to see the school's reaction to your return!"

Alex laughed and shook his head. He was amazed that, just like that, they were on good terms again and his resolve to keep Tom at a distance for safety's sake melted away. "Sorry, Tom. I start SAS training again on Monday. I won't be back until spring term starts."

Tom looked crestfallen at this news. "Aww… I was so looking forward to having you around again!"

"I promise I'll be there in January," Alex said solemnly.

"I'm holding you to that!" Tom paused, a thought just occurring to him. "Wait, you said there was an agent following me? How come I never noticed?"

Alex laughed. "They're spies for a reason."

"Well, Mr. Teenage Spy, let's see if you can avoid the girls at school who have a thing for your bad boy image!"

This made Alex stop short. He knew there were a couple of girls like that but something about the way Tom said it had made it seem like there were more now. Frowning, he asked, "When did that happen?"

Tom shrugged. "After your warning saved everyone at school from being shot. Anyways, you won't believe some of the rumours that are still going on about you…"

And so Tom started to recount all of the gossip at school that had happened while he was gone as they played video games. Most of the rumours were just good for a laugh but there were the occasional ones that were interesting or outright bizarre. After going through the gossip, Tom started complaining about his parents' petty fights whenever they had to be in the same room to finalize divorce details and being behind in the homework that he never really did anyway. It was a good few hours to unwind that Alex hadn't even realized he needed. He felt much lighter by the time he left to go home for dinner.

The next day, Alex was dragged out of bed at seven o'clock in the morning by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Groggily making his way downstairs, he grumbled to himself about how it was too early in the morning for this. Alex stiffened when he opened the door and was suddenly much more alert. A man with thinning hair and old-fashioned clothes stood before him, along with several other people grouped behind him.

"Mr. Crawley, I don't think now is the time for a party," Alex said in a deadpan voice.

The man smiled blandly. It still reminded Alex of a snake poised to strike. "Of course not, Alex. Mrs. Jones wanted the security system reinstalled today." Gesturing to the doorway, he asked, "Would you mind letting us in?"

Alex stood aside wordlessly, letting them pass before closing the door again. Crawley stood off to the side with Alex, watching the group of people bustle around. The efficiency reminded Alex of an anthill, where everyone had a role and knew what they were doing. After a few minutes, Alex asked, "What exactly is being installed?"

"Just the usual," Crawley assured him. "Mostly outside cameras and detectors. There are detectors for motion, doors and windows, glass break, smoke, carbon monoxide, and various other poisonous gases. Any alarms that go off will alert our company. We're also switching out your windows for bulletproof ones."

Alex stared. It sounded like he wouldn't be able to sneeze without Mrs. Jones knowing about it. "Are you going to put cameras in the bathrooms too?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"That depends on what Mrs. Jones wants."

Ignoring the implications of that statement, Alex commented, "They're paying a lot of attention to Ian's office." Old office, he corrected himself.

"Yes, that office will be yours now. As you will be dealing with sensitive information, it needs to have better security than the rest of the house."

Nodding, Alex walked off to make breakfast. It seemed that they would be here for awhile. And he was right. They only finished installing everything after he had had breakfast, did his meditations, and sorted through perishable foods that he would donate later in the day. He left the frozen and canned foods for when he got back from wherever Jones was sending him for two months. Just as Crawley and his people were about to leave, a thought occurred to Alex. "Can the office be soundproofed?"

"It can," Crawley answered. "Mrs. Jones would have to approve it but I can ask her."

Satisfied with the answer for now, he thanked the man. There was so much security in place, MI6 would be tracking his movements just as much as any intruders. A soundproofed office would at least provide Alex a little bit of privacy.

"Goodbye, Alex. I look forward to working with you," Crawley said. And then he walked out the door, leaving Alex alone again in the silent, empty house.

With everyone out, Alex examined the house to see the exact locations of what had been added. He discovered that the agents had done a very thorough job of warding the house against intruders. It still wasn't good enough to keep one of the world's top assassins out though. That was a shame. He didn't want to wake up to another gun pointed at him for the sole purpose of talking.

After examining the house, Alex had a quick lunch and then donated his perishable food to the homeless shelter. On his way, he could spot a different agent that Jones had sent to tail him. It looks like this one wasn't competent enough either. He took photos of the agent but otherwise ignored his tail.

Continuing to make his preparations for Brecon Beacons, his next destination was the barber's shop. Alex's hair had grown out and was starting to obscure his vision. Even if he wasn't going to be training with the SAS, he would still have needed a haircut. His upcoming training just meant that he got a military buzz cut instead of just a trimming. With all the mud in the Welsh Beacons, he would have had trouble keeping his hair clean with any other haircut. Besides that, the sergeant was sure to scream at him and assign punishment duty for having hair that was too long. Alex would take the odd look the barber had given him when he requested the military cut over a screaming drill sergeant any day.

Paying for the haircut, Alex thanked the barber and headed home to pack a duffle bag for the next day. He wouldn't need much. A uniform would be provided for him, along with combat boots, so he only packed a change of clothes, underwear, and socks. Other than that, toiletries and a lock were the only other things to go into the bag.

Finished with his preparations, Alex settled down on the couch for the rest of the day to study the legal documents Jones had given him. The legal emancipation documents were fairly straight forward. With the exception of voting and driving before the legal age, he had full legal rights in everything else. The investments and properties documents were not so clear. His cursory glance in Jones' office only gave him a very broad view of what he owned. Now, as he was reading the details, Alex found that there were some mutual funds portfolios that had been passed down through multiple generations. The same could be said for the properties. In fact, there seemed to be a tradition where each generation would add at least one mutual fund portfolio and one property to the family's assets to pass down. Suddenly, Alex remembered something that Jones had told him. _The Rider family has always made investments and owned several properties._ Those were her words. At the time, he had sensed something odd about the words but was too surprised to fully process it yet. These documents confirmed her hint that it wasn't just his father and uncle that had done it. That previous generations had too. The question was why? Were they spies too? Or just people trying to build their wealth? His uncle had never mentioned anything about his relatives. He didn't even know if he had any cousins. He made a mental note to look into his family history. Maybe Yassen would know something. Speaking of the assassin, he should probably let the man know that it would be difficult to reach him for the next two months. He wasn't keen on finding out what his punishment would be if the man tried to contact him and received no response.

Yawning, Alex realized how late it was and hid the documents under a pile of junk in his closet before getting ready for bed. He knew he should put the documents in a safer place but there wasn't anywhere like that in the house. The office wasn't ready yet as MI6 had stripped everything from it when Ian had died, including the desk. He would have to get another one when he returned, Alex thought as he took out the phone Yassen had given him. He paused, wondering if he would be interrupting something important. Like an assignment that would get the man killed if he was distracted. He shrugged to himself. If the assassin was in the middle of something, he'd make sure there were no possible distractions. Yassen wouldn't have survived as long as he did if he were that careless. After a minute of deciding what to say, he texted the assassin.

 _Going camping for a couple of months._

Nearly six thousand miles away, a phone vibrated in a hotel room. Yassen looked at the message with an almost imperceptible downturn of his lips. The teen had barely been given any down time and it seemed that he was being sent off again. The standard for anyone in their world was at least two weeks of vacation between missions that took more than three days. Longer if they were high level ones like the boy had been consistently involved in. If there was a gunshot wound, the standard was three months of vacation and then light active duty for another three months before being fully back in the game. Even criminal organizations like SCORPIA followed this practice. Alex might not want to train as an assassin but Yassen strengthened his resolve to teach him to be one anyways. Even if the teen wasn't going to pursue an assassination career, it made him feel better to know that the training would give him the choice should the situation with the intelligence agencies get bad enough. Besides, the knowledge of the illegal side of things would help the teen develop the instincts needed to thrive, no matter which side of the law he chose to operate on. Scanning the message again, he texted Alex back.

 _Don't let the wolves bite._

Alex smirked as he read the message. That was one way of describing the intelligence agencies. Although, there was a particular wolf that he would have to watch out for in the immediate future. He wondered if Yassen knew about that one. Or how much the man knew about his connections in this world in general. He would have to ask in person the next time they met.

 _They won't if they know what's good for them._

Yassen nodded to himself, reassured that the kid wasn't going to submit to the whims of the governments around the world. Even after all he'd been through, Alex still had some fight left in him. There was never any doubt that the boy could take care of himself. He was counting on it. For both of their sakes. It would make the plans he had recently formed go a lot smoother. Everything depended on the boy.

 _Don't do anything rash._

Alex looked at the message and stared. Was Yassen trying to be parental? He snorted at the mental image of the assassin taking care of a kid. The man might have some personal code of honour that prevents him from killing children by his own hand in cold blood but that didn't mean he was capable of looking after a kid.

 _I won't._

Knowing their conversation was over for now, Alex hid the phone and set his alarm for 5:00 tomorrow. He fell asleep thinking it would be a long two months.

 **A/N: So... not a lot happens in this chapter but I think there are still some interesting things going on.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite, and/or review to let me know what you think! PMs are also welcome! :)**


	10. SAS Reunion

**A/N:** **Thank you to those of you that followed, favorited, and/or reviewed the story since the last chapter! Whenever I get a notification about a response to the story, it always surprises me. I really appreciate the responses!**

 **Also, shout out to EmoWolf for reviewing this story twice in a row!**

 **Anyways, this chapter also took on a life of its own. Except, this one actually just happened without any planning so I really hope that it's not a bad chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!**

A nondescript black car pulled up to a small, drab administration building surrounded by mud. Alex thanked the driver and got out, duffle bag in hand. It had been a silent three hour drive from his home in Chelsea, time that he had used to go over memories of his training and missions in an attempt to figure out what he should have learned from them. If he was going to continue in this line of work, it was best to pinpoint his mistakes as soon as possible. His reflection on the past year and a half had come up with a surprising amount of things he had learned and he would make sure to never forget them.

Taking a deep breath, Alex walked into the building and followed the signs to the sergeant's office. He knocked sharply on the door twice.

"Enter."

Alex went in, closed the door behind him, and stood at attention before the black man sitting at the desk. There was a long silence as the training officer studied the boy in front of him. The teen's posture was different, more confident. There was also something in the teen's eyes that hadn't been there the last time they had met. They were cold, hard, and emotionless. Yet, haunted at the same time. A soldier's eyes. He knew that only field experience could have caused this.

Sergeant Philip Sanders had thought that he'd seen everything in his ten years of military service until he had met this boy a year and a half ago. He had wanted to have some fun giving the teen a hard time and thought it would be easy to bin him. Except the teen had surprised everyone by keeping up with the soldiers without complaint. That wasn't normal. Even the soldiers could often be heard complaining about the harsh conditions they were training in. There was a 90% fail rate for a reason and, even with concessions made for his age, a schoolboy shouldn't have been able to keep up. The teen had even had the gall to pickpocket some matches from him during one of the training exercises! He hadn't known if he should be mad, amused, or impressed with that act. He still didn't know. But from that moment on, Sanders knew that the boy had what it took to survive. Even so, he hadn't thought that his superiors were serious about sending the teen into the field. He still wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't read the file that had been sent over a couple of days ago. It told him absolutely nothing useful, not even a name or age. It had only told him the skills the boy possessed and the number of missions completed. What surprised him even further was the clearance level on the file, which was higher than his, and the 100% success rate. As impressive as it was, this whole situation wasn't right. This schoolboy was essentially a child soldier! It frustrated him that he couldn't do anything about it. And not for lack of trying either. Sanders was disgusted with MI6 for even thinking of using someone so young. He had a son and a daughter. Even without the details, Sanders shuddered to think of them going through the same thing as this teen. After reading the file, he had hoped that he'd be able to gain some insight into the boy this time around. It was time to start testing him.

"At ease."

Alex relaxed his stance and patiently waited for the sergeant to speak.

"Cub, do you know why you're here again?" Sanders barked out.

"Training, sir," Alex answered, staring straight ahead.

"It's not my job to ask questions but if it were, I'd be asking what the hell Blunt and Jones were thinking back then and what Jones is thinking now!" Sanders ranted. "One specialization takes six months to train and she expects you to specialize in every position in the unit by the end of these two months on top of your regular schooling! That's even more suicidal than last time!" He paused, noticing mild amusement in the boy's eyes even though the rest of his face was blank. "DO YOU FIND THIS FUNNY, CUB?!" Sanders screamed.

"No, sir!" Alex did find it funny, in a dark way, but he wasn't about to say so to the sergeant. He had asked for the training and it seemed that Jones was going to make this as difficult as possible for him.

The sergeant narrowed his eyes at the lie but chose to keep going. "This is no place for a schoolboy! There are three units here at the moment. You'll be with K-Unit again. My men are not going to like you anymore than they did last time. In fact, they're going to like you even less than last time because their sole focus will be to train you in order to meet Jones' requirements!" Visibly forcing himself to calm down, he took out five files and handed them to Alex. "I've been instructed to give you these. Give your file to K-Unit. You read the rest. When you're all done reading the files, give them back to me. Your training starts tomorrow. Here is your training schedule. Dismissed."

Alex saluted the sergeant and marched out of the office with the files and his duffle bag in hand. Sanders watched him leave, wondering what the teen could have found so funny about the situation. Other than the amusement, he hadn't been able to read anything from the boy, who had been completely professional and forgotten none of his brief training. His shouting and ranting hadn't even made the boy blink while his soldiers facing the same would have struggled to keep from flinching.

Meanwhile, Alex was cursing Jones in his head the whole way to one of the nine wooden huts that were set up for units to sleep in. The soldiers had treated him badly enough last time. Having them train him would definitely be a lot worse like the sergeant had predicted.

"MOVE IT, YOU MAGGOTS! EVEN CUB COULD DO BETTER THAN THAT!" a voice in the distance roared, interrupting his musings.

Alex raised both eyebrows, stopping in his tracks in surprise. On second thought, he groaned inwardly, it might be even nastier than the sergeant anticipated. He began walking again, cursing the sergeant in his head as well for making him a bigger target by spreading comments like that as the training officers' daily verbal abuse of the soldiers.

Eventually reaching K-Unit's hut, he quickly glanced at the names on the files and steeled himself before rapping sharply on the door. It opened to reveal a dark man with black hair and a slightly uneven nose. A shock of recognition crossed the man's face for a moment before it turned into an angry scowl.

"What the fuck are you doing back here?" the man snarled in a slightly foreign accent, blocking the doorway.

"Pleasant as always, Wolf," Alex remarked wryly. It seemed that no one had informed K-Unit that he would be coming. "I'm here to train with your unit again."

"Who is it, Wolf?" a voice came from within the hut. Footsteps approached and three more men appeared behind the unit leader. They stared at Alex in shock with their mouths open.

"Eagle, Snake," Alex nodded curtly to each in acknowledgement of the brawny red head and the lithe Scotsman. He turned his head to the fourth member of the unit. Chestnut brown hair and stocky build. Short for a man but not as short as Wolf. "You must be Badger, the communications expert and Fox's replacement." He looked at the rest of the unit again. "You're going to catch flies if you keep that up," Alex commented in mild amusement.

Their jaws snapped shut. "CUB?!" Eagle and Snake exclaimed in unison, finally recovering from their surprise.

"Yes," Alex replied shortly. "Are you going to let me in?"

Realizing that they hadn't moved aside, the soldiers hastily stepped back. Wolf had to be pulled away from the door by his teammates as he was still angry about the teen's presence. Once they were inside, Alex headed straight for the only empty, metal bed that had been squeezed into the hut for him and stowed his duffle bag in the locker beside it. He was very aware of the four sets of eyes watching his every move. When he turned back to face the soldiers, Eagle and Snake were still staring at him, Wolf was glowering as usual, and Badger was looking at everyone confusedly. Alex raised an eyebrow at them.

Seeing that his unit leader was too angry to be saying anything soon, Snake cleared his throat in response and asked, "So, uh, what are you doing here, Cub?"

"Training. Properly this time."

"Like hell you are," Wolf snapped, losing control of his temper and stalking towards Alex. There was a time when Alex would have backed away from Wolf's glare alone, like most people, but he wasn't even phased now. He found that he wasn't afraid of his unit leader. Not after everything he'd been through. "You're a schoolboy! What did you do this time to get sent here for punishment? Rich daddy doesn't want you anymore?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, everyone knew that Wolf had messed up. The boy stiffened and the temperature in the hut seemed to have dropped a few degrees. Cub's eyes, a chocolate brown before, had turned into a frozen tundra. "Out of everyone here, Wolf, you should know better than to make that accusation," Alex said coldly. He quickly sidestepped the man, thrust his file onto the unit leader's bed, and told them the sergeant wanted the unit to return it after reading it. Then, he walked out with the rest of the files before anyone could react. The soldiers couldn't help but notice that even the boy's gait had changed into something almost predatory as they watched him go.

"What was that for?" Snake asked his leader quietly with his arms crossed. None of them liked having the teen with them but Cub had kept up without complaint last time. He had earned their respect.

"Did you have to be so mean to Cubby?" Eagle complained, finally getting over his shock enough to return to being his usual childish self. "And what did he mean you should know better, Wolfie?"

Wolf was silent and eventually looked away as Snake stared him down. He knew that he had gone too far and the kid was right. Wolf had seen the kid in action at Point Blanc but had never told his unit about it. The shock of seeing Cub again had put him off guard and he had reacted without thinking. The whole situation with the kid just made him angry. At first, it was because he thought the boy had been put with his unit to humiliate them. But after working with him, he was furious because Cub was obviously a child and, as a soldier, he couldn't even protect the boy from their own government.

"Who's Cub and why does he know my name?" Badger finally mustered the courage to ask.

"A kid who trained with our unit for eleven days during selection," Wolf grunted.

Badger stared at his leader. "You're not serious, are you?" Wolf gave him a withering glare. "Right, never mind." Another pause. "Wait, this isn't the Cub that Sarge keeps comparing everyone to, is it? The same one that stole a pack of matches from Sarge and beat the Green Jackets during RTI training?"

"Er…" came the reply from all three of his unit mates.

"And you didn't tell me that I was in the same unit as a legend?!"

"Shut up," Wolf muttered. "Let's read the file."

With that, the unit moved to huddle over the file and start reading. The contents surprised them as they all thought that it would be a mission briefing.

 _ **Name:**_ _********* *****_

 _ **Birth date:**_ _February 13, ****_

 _ **Age:**_ _**_

 _ **Height:**_ _5'7"_

 _ **Weight:**_ _140 lbs._

 _ **Clearance level:**_ _9/10_

 _ **Status:**_ _Active_

 _ **Organizational affiliations:**_ _Special Air Service, Military Intelligence Sector 6 (clearance level 9/10 required for further information)_

 _ **Code name:**_ _Cub_

 _ **SAS unit:**_ _K_

 _ **Medical history:**_ _recent bullet wound to the arm (clearance level 9/10 required for further information)_

 _ **Skills:**_ _English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, karate, aikido, climbing, abseiling, snowboarding, skiing, canoeing, kayaking, white water rafting, scuba diving, surfing, horse riding, cycling, mountain biking, quad biking, shooting (clearance level 9/10 required for further information)_

 _ **Training:**_ _eleven days SAS course at Brecon Beacons (clearance level 9/10 required for further information)_

 _ **Missions:**_ _11 with 100% success rate (clearance level 9/10 required for further information)_

 _ **Notes:**_ _List of skills and training are incomplete. Competency of some known skills is unclear._

As they finished reading, the unit stared at each other. One page. It was the shortest personnel file they had ever seen and no one was happy about it. When they finally reacted, everyone spoke at the same time.

"What the fuck?!" Wolf snarled, throwing the file away in frustration. "What's the point of this? It's completely useless! And how does he have a level 9 security clearance?!"

"How did he get shot?" Snake muttered to himself. He was the unit medic and often worried about his team's health. "Are there any other injuries they didn't tell us about here?"

"Cubby can shoot!" Eagle exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down. As the unit's weapons and demolitions expert, he was looking forward to seeing what his youngest unit member could do with a gun. "He can ride a horse too! Do you think he could shoot while riding a horse like those movies about the wild west?"

"That's how he knew my name. He's probably reading our files right now," Badger mumbled. Then, raising his voice, he asked, "So were any of you ever going to tell me that K-Unit technically has six members?"

Realizing that none of them could hear what the others had said, they started over and took turns repeating their questions. No one knew the answers to Wolf's and Snake's questions, they ignored Eagle's, but there was an awkward silence at Badger's.

"I'll take that as a no," Badger sighed. "Where do you think he's gone?"

The unit shrugged and then realized that they didn't know their sixth member at all. "He'll turn up sooner or later," Wolf grunted. As a unit, they walked over to the sergeant's office to return the file, determined to ask some questions about Cub. To their surprise, the sergeant only gave them orders to find out more information about the boy and report back because no one in the SAS knew anything except what was in the file they had just read.

Meanwhile, Alex had settled in a tree some ways into the forest as soon as he had left the hut, muttering to himself about stupid SAS soldiers. Once he was comfortable on the branch, Alex opened the first file and began reading.

 _ **Name:**_ _James San Luca_

 _ **Birth date:**_ _July 9, 1984_

 _ **Age:**_ _27_

 _ **Height:**_ _5'6"_

 _ **Weight:**_ _154 lbs._

 _ **Clearance level:**_ _5/10_

 _ **Status:**_ _Active, available_

 _ **Organizational affiliations:**_ _British Regular Army, British Special Air Service_

 _ **Code name:**_ _Wolf_

 _ **Rank:**_ _Corporal_

 _ **SAS unit:**_ _K_

 _ **Specialization:**_ _Forward Air Control_

 _ **Medical history:**_ _fractured three ribs which have healed, bullet wound to the right arm has healed (see Operation Point Blanc, clearance level 9 required for further information), superficial knife wound to the left thigh has healed_

 _ **Skills:**_ _English, French, Spanish, above average sniper, archery, scuba diving, skiing, karate (second dan)_

 _ **Training:**_ _44 weeks basic training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 26 weeks at Infantry Training Centre, 14 weeks Special Air Service course at Brecon Beacons_

 _ **Missions:**_ _20 with 85% success rate_

The file went on to list all of the deployments from the beginning of Wolf's career in the regular army up to the present. All the details were there – briefings, units involved, status updates, debriefings, final reports, and psychological reports after the deployments. When Alex finished reading the whole file, he closed it and stared blankly ahead. He had grimaced when he got to the Point Blanc mission. It was his fault that the man had been shot. He hoped no one else would be taking a bullet for him again. But besides that, there were details in the mission file that even Wolf wouldn't have access to. But he did. It was eye opening to read about everything that went on to support the mission. Alex looked at the documents bitterly. He had never even received a briefing file before. It was always Blunt telling him to think of it as a vacation. Knowing it was useless to dwell on such thoughts, Alex pulled himself together and opened the other files.

 _ **Name:**_ _Chris Murray_

 _ **Birth date:**_ _October 16, 1983_

 _ **Age:**_ _28_

 _ **Height:**_ _6'0"_

 _ **Weight:**_ _175 lbs._

 _ **Clearance level:**_ _5/10_

 _ **Status:**_ _Active, available_

 _ **Organizational affiliations:**_ _British Regular Army, British Special Air Service_

 _ **Code name:**_ _Snake_

 _ **Rank:**_ _Trooper_

 _ **SAS unit:**_ _K_

 _ **Specialization:**_ _Medic_

 _ **Medical history:**_ _healed stress fracture in the right foot, bullet wound to the left shoulder has healed, various superficial knife wounds to the arms and abdomen_

 _ **Skills:**_ _English, French, knife fighting, knife throwing, scuba diving, skiing_

 _ **Training:**_ _44 weeks basic training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 14 weeks at Army Training Centre, 14 weeks at Selly Oak Hospital, 14 weeks Special Air Service course at Brecon Beacons_

 _ **Missions:**_ _15 with 73% success rate_

 _ **Name:**_ _Neil Dunn_

 _ **Birth date:**_ _December 3, 1986_

 _ **Age:**_ _25_

 _ **Height:**_ _5'11"_

 _ **Weight:**_ _179 lbs._

 _ **Clearance level:**_ _5/10_

 _ **Status:**_ _Active, available_

 _ **Organizational affiliations:**_ _British Regular Army, British Special Air Service_

 _ **Code name:**_ _Eagle_

 _ **Rank:**_ _Trooper_

 _ **SAS unit:**_ _K_

 _ **Specialization:**_ _Weapons and demolitions expert_

 _ **Medical history:**_ _bullet wound to the left arm has healed, bullet wound to the right calf has healed, had a dislocated left shoulder_

 _ **Skills:**_ _English, French, scuba diving, snowboarding, Japanese jiujitsu (blue belt)_

 _ **Training:**_ _44 weeks basic training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 26 weeks at Infantry Training Centre, 14 weeks Special Air Service course at Brecon Beacons_

 _ **Missions:**_ _16 with 81% success rate_

 _ **Note:**_ _Banned from foods that are high in sugar._

 _ **Name:**_ _Blake Travers_

 _ **Birth date:**_ _July 9, 1987_

 _ **Age:**_ _24_

 _ **Height:**_ _5'8"_

 _ **Weight:**_ _160 lbs._

 _ **Clearance level:**_ _5/10_

 _ **Status:**_ _Active, available_

 _ **Organizational affiliations:**_ _British Regular Army, British Special Air Service_

 _ **Code name:**_ _Badger_

 _ **Rank:**_ _Trooper_

 _ **SAS unit:**_ _K_

 _ **Specialization:**_ _Communications expert_

 _ **Medical history:**_ _bullet wound to the left shoulder has healed, shin splints have healed_

 _ **Skills:**_ _English, French, Dari, Pashto, lip reading, scuba diving, snowboarding, karate (first dan)_

 _ **Training:**_ _44 weeks basic training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 14 weeks at Army Training Regiment, 14 weeks at Royal School of Signals, 14 weeks Special Air Service course at Brecon Beacons_

 _ **Missions:**_ _12 with 75% success rate_

The rest of the files had been filled with mission details as well and by the time Alex was done reading all of it, he was exhausted from the amount of information his brain had processed. One thing he noticed was the short list of skills compared to his own. He wasn't naïve enough to think that the soldiers had less skills than he did. If anything, they would have more. Alex supposed that the short list was because the formal training they had received already implied the skills that they possessed so the list of skills would be extra things that weren't covered in their formal training or things that took special notice.

Leaning his head against the trunk of the tree, he closed his eyes, hoping to rest, but was interrupted by his grumbling stomach. At the sound, Alex was startled to realize that he had missed lunch and was going to be late for dinner if he didn't get moving right now. Quickly, he scrambled out of the tree and jogged towards the sergeant's office to drop off the files. Once that was done, he trudged through the mud towards the mess hall for dinner, still thinking about what he had read. As he was lost in thought, Alex got his food on autopilot from his memories of the last time he was here and didn't notice that the mess hall had fallen silent. It was only when he got an uncomfortable prickly feeling all over his body that he realized the kitchen staff and soldiers had started staring at him as soon as he walked into the mess hall. He ignored all of this and headed towards the table K-Unit was already sitting at.

"Where - " Eagle started.

"Hey, kid," one of the soldiers sneeringly called out, interrupting Eagle. He exuded authority and arrogance so Alex assumed he was one of the unit leaders. "What do you think you're doing here? This camp is for soldiers who have earned their place! Not rich brats who have nothing better to do!"

Alex didn't answer, just kept eating the mush that the kitchen staff always served. He directed his attention to his surroundings and listened to the mutters of agreement from the man's colleagues though, just in case the soldiers tried anything physical. Surprisingly enough, K-Unit, even Wolf, was glaring at the other soldiers, silently daring them to try something. Well, that was unexpected but not entirely unwelcome. The soldier who had spoken either didn't notice K-Unit's defensiveness or ignored it.

"Hey, brat!" The soldier got up and walked over to their table, towering over Alex. "What's your name? Answer me when I'm talking to you!"

A moment later, Alex was yanked off the bench he was sitting on. Without thinking, he smashed the back of his head into the soldier's face, grabbing his opponent's pinky finger to bend it backwards at the same time. Alex grimaced as he felt the finger dislocate but followed it up with a kick to the man's crotch for good measure before calmly going back to eating dinner, careful to avoid aggravating his bullet wound further than the soldier already had by gripping it. Face going pale, the soldier clutched his injuries, letting out a string of curses. Everyone stared at Alex with their mouths open and K-Unit was frozen halfway out of their seats, clearly in an attempt to break up the fight that had happened too fast for them to stop.

Pausing mid-bite, Alex casually asked them, "How old do all of you think I am?"

"You can't be more than sixteen!" a soldier called out. Everyone else was still too shocked to answer.

"So, in other words, you think that I am a child." All of the soldiers nodded warily, not sure where he was going with this. Alex continued eating methodically in silence. When he finished chewing, he looked each of them in the eyes and said coldly, "So, let me get this straight. You are all soldiers, people who are supposed to protect the vulnerable, which includes children. All of you think that I am a child but instead of protecting, you decide to taunt and physically attack me." He paused. "You are not soldiers. You are glorified bullies with a license to kill."

Most of the soldiers silently looked down in shame, realizing just how childish and unprofessional they were being. They might not like having a child with them but even they could grudgingly admit that the rich brat had a point. On the other hand, the man who had attacked him, was still fuming with anger. He would be trouble, Alex thought as he finished his last bite of dinner. He stood up and went to dump his finished tray of food. Just before he left, Alex turned his head to the side and stated, "The name is Cub, by the way. And I'm here to train."

With that, Alex walked out of the mess hall, leaving the soldiers, who were not a part of K-Unit, staring after him in shock once more. They had thought that Cub was just a legend that the sergeant had made up to encourage them to work harder. Now, it seemed that Cub actually existed and they had just pissed off the legend. Once everyone got over the surprise of Alex's identity, the soldiers turned towards K-Unit and began firing questions at them. Except K-Unit barely knew anything either. As the soldiers steadily got more dissatisfied with the answers, they began to get into arguments until each of them stalked off into different directions, dinner forgotten.

"No one messes with my unit," Wolf growled, stalking off towards their hut while the rest of his unit followed. "But I swear that kid is going to get us all binned just by being here!"

Wolf continued to mutter under his breath but his unit kept silent, knowing better than to interrupt their leader during one of his rants. When they entered their hut, they saw a freshly showered Alex sitting cross-legged on his bed with his eyes closed. While the others were wary of interrupting whatever it was the boy was doing, Wolf was still too worked up to notice or care.

"What the hell was that back in the mess hall?!" Wolf shouted, storming towards the boy. "And where the bloody hell have you been all day?!"

Alex slowly opened his eyes to scan his surroundings before settling his gaze back on his glaring unit leader. "I believe it's called self defense. Or should I have let the big, bad soldier beat me up?"

"Lion is going to come back for revenge on you! And don't even get me started on punishment duty for our unit if Sarge hears about it!" Wolf snarled at him, completely missing the fact that Alex hadn't answered his second question.

"None of you want me here anyways. It was bound to happen sooner or later," Alex replied, shrugging nonchalantly.

"You - " Wolf started growling.

Snake, having watched the exchange like it was a tennis match with the rest of the unit, cut off whatever insult Wolf was about to make before his unit leader could mess things up further. "Wolf, give the kid a break. It's not his fault that Lion attacked him."

"Fine. But you better behave yourself," Wolf snapped, still glaring and pointing a threatening finger at Alex.

"I will if everyone else does," Alex answered coldly.

"Aww, come on, Cub! Of course everyone will behave. We want you here! We're all friends, right?" Eagle chirped, slinging an arm around the teen's shoulders.

Alex raised an eyebrow at this. "I weep for whoever has you as a friend if your definition of being one means constantly ignoring and sabotaging them," he said dryly.

There was an uncomfortable silence at this, each of his old unit members remembering how they had treated him last time. Then, Badger finally caught on to what Alex meant. "You ignored and sabotaged a _kid_ during _selection_?! That's the hardest part of our training! What is _wrong_ with you guys?!" Badger exclaimed with wide eyes.

Snake coughed. "Well… we were afraid of being binned."

"And Wolf was the one who sabotaged Cub," Eagle added. "The rest of us only ignored him." Wolf turned his glare on Eagle, who didn't notice but was bouncing up and down in excitement as he got an idea. "But we can make up for it now with bonding time! Oh, I know! Let's play a game to get to know each other! How about Never Have I Ever?"

Alex stared at Eagle. With the exception of Wolf, K-Unit was much more relaxed than the last time he had been with them. Maybe it was because the pressure to make it into the SAS wasn't there anymore. "Is he always this hyper?" Alex asked the unit.

"Yes," Wolf grunted, mellowing out as he, once again, realized the teen's presence was making him react badly first before thinking.

"Unfortunately," Badger and Snake added underneath their breaths.

"Come on, Wolfie! Please?" Eagle asked, looking like a little kid despite his size.

"Don't ever call me that again or I'll rip out your intestines and shove it up someplace where it don't shine!" Wolf snarled.

Eagle completely ignored the threat. "Come on, let's play Never Have I Ever! Please, please, please, - "

"FINE!" Wolf shouted, throwing up his hands and looking skyward.

With a groan and a shake of their heads, the unit sat in a circle in the middle of the hut, each holding up three fingers. As it was late and they had to be up at 0530 tomorrow morning, they had decided to keep the game short.

"I'll start!" Eagle volunteered. "Hmm… never have I ever - "

"Hold it," Snake interrupted, ignoring Eagle's pout. Turning to Alex, he asked, "How old are you really, Cub?"

"Uh… I don't think I'm allowed to tell you that," Alex answered. He knew his file hadn't stated his age. Or his name. And he wasn't the one who crossed out that information in Jones' office either.

"Don't bullshit me," Wolf snapped. "How can your age be classified?"

"If it's not in my file, then it is classified," Alex responded coldly. The unit watched as his face was wiped blank of all emotion. They were unnerved by how easily the teen did it.

"Alright," Snake started before Wolf could say anything else. "You can't tell us your age but you're obviously a teen. You'd have to be at least sixteen to be involved in any of this and it's been about a year and a half since we last saw you. To be on the safe side, let's assume that you're seventeen now, still underage, so keep this game clean," he instructed.

The unit agreed reluctantly, teasing Snake about being a mother hen, and Alex watched on amusedly. He would never have imagined any of these men to be capable of being parental but he guessed it made sense since Snake was the unit medic. However sound the man's reasoning though, it was still ironic.

"Okay," Eagle began again, "never have I ever walked a tightrope."

Alex put down a finger, groaning inwardly in anticipation of the questions that were sure to come. He really didn't want to talk about how he was kidnapped from the hospital, almost had his finger cut off, and then walked across his makeshift tightrope to the opposite building so he could escape the fire that his kidnappers had set.

Most of the unit stared at him. Eagle just jumped up and down while asking, "Really, Cub? I thought it would have been Snake!"

"Hey, why would you think that I've walked a tightrope before?!" Snake exclaimed indignantly.

"Because you're so slim, like a rope!" Snake tackled Eagle, trying to get him to take it back, while everyone laughed. Once the two men finished wrestling and came back to their places in the circle, Eagle said contemplatively, "I suppose Cub is slim too but he's a teenager. He's not done growing yet."

"Cub, when did you walk a tightrope anyways?" Badger asked, cocking his head to the side and looking at Alex curiously.

"I'd rather not say."

The soldiers wanted to know more but considering the fight in the mess hall, they just shrugged and kept going on with the game. They would get answers out of the boy eventually, when they knew him better. "Never have I ever shot one of my teammates for being annoying," Snake said.

"It was one time!" Wolf protested, putting down a finger. "And it was an accident!"

Alex raised an eyebrow at this. "Really, Wolf? Who did you shoot? Eagle?" Everyone chuckled at Wolf's scowling face, confirming his guess. He chuckled along with them, shaking his head. As the laughter died down, everyone turned to Alex. It was his turn. He didn't know what to say that wouldn't compromise his identity so he decided to play it safe. "Never have I ever ignored or sabotaged a teammate."

Four fingers went down. They already knew what happened with three of those but the fourth was a mystery. "Badger, who did you ignore or sabotage?" Alex asked.

"Someone on my school football team," came the sheepish answer. Then, quickly before anyone could ask more questions about it, Badger said, "Never have I ever destroyed the camp because I was on a sugar rush."

"Hey, no fair!" Eagle shouted, putting down a finger. "You're the one who gave me the chocolate!"

"I didn't know you were banned from sugar! No one told me!" Badger complained.

The unit groaned, lamenting the month of mess duty they were assigned because of the incident and swearing that they would never forget to warn people against giving Eagle sugar again.

"Cub, the rule is that whoever gives Eagle sugar has to babysit him until his sugar rush is over," Snake explained. "So don't give him sugar." Once Alex nodded his understanding, the man gestured for Wolf to continue the game.

Scowling, Wolf muttered under his breath about how stupid the game was before raising his voice and saying, "Never have I ever snowboarded down a mountain on an ironing board."

The unit stared at their leader, wondering who would be crazy enough to do that. It was only when they looked around to see if anyone had put down their finger that they saw Alex had.

"What the hell, Cub?! Were you _trying_ to kill yourself?" Snake shouted, eyes flashing in anger.

"Trying to save myself, actually," Alex retorted.

"I swear, if you're suicidal, I'm going to - " Snake started before processing what Alex had said. He paused. Frowning, he asked, "Wait, save yourself? How the hell does that save you?!"

"Pretty sure I'm not allowed to tell you," Alex said coolly. "Why don't you ask Wolf? Since he was commanding the _very late_ backup that was sent."

Three heads snapped around to face their unit leader, glaring at him with a silent demand for an explanation. Shit, Wolf thought. He had only wanted to get the kid to put another finger down and what he saw on that rescue mission was the only thing he could think of that would target Cub. But it looked like his plan had backfired on him. He was now facing three angry SAS soldiers with no good explanation for why the kid was in a dangerous enough situation on his watch that suicidal escape plans were the better option. Actually, scratch that. He didn't have any explanation because he had never even been given enough information to know what was going on in that damn school, much less why Cub was there. "Er… it's classified?" he tried. Wolf winced inwardly as the glares only intensified. He knew the "classified" excuse wouldn't work because the unit shared everything, top secret or not, and they had the same clearance level. As he tried to think of what to say, the silence dragged on and his unit mates began moving to surround him, slowly backing him into a corner.

Alex watched as the game was forgotten and Wolf struggled to come up with an answer. Sighing, he said tiredly, "Lay off him, guys. It's not actually Wolf's fault that backup arrived 36 hours after I sent the distress signal. If anything, blame MI6 for that." In his momentary anger of never having backup or people believing him when he says he needs help, he had accidentally taken it out on the closest target in the room.

The unit stared at him, appalled that the government would use someone for their own purposes and leave them to die. It was even worse because of the teen's age. The army had always looked after their own so they found this mind-boggling. Seeing their shocked faces for the umpteenth time that day, Alex decided to get another surprise out of the way. Hopefully, it would reduce the amount of attention he would be getting from the other units if his own unit wasn't constantly staring at him from new surprises. "By the way, Wolf, thanks for taking that bullet for me. I owe you."

With that, Alex turned on his heel and went to bed, leaving speechless soldiers to stand there dumbly with their mouths open. By the time the unit snapped out of it, Alex had gradually slowed his breathing to make it seem like he was asleep. He listened to his unit murmur among themselves, noting that he had a soldier's eyes and speculating on what could have happened to him to cause that. With all these questions, Alex was glad that he had taken an earlier shower. While he wasn't vain and didn't mind anyone seeing the scars on his body, it would only raise more questions than he wanted to answer. It didn't help that he wasn't allowed to reveal the information either. As he listened to the unit leave the hut for their own showers, Alex heard Snake planning to give him a full medical check up and groaned inwardly. The last thought he had before he drifted off to sleep was how he would evade the medic for the next two months.

 **A/N: There isn't much description in the books about K-Unit or the SAS but the fandom seems to have come to a general consensus of what these characters are like so that's what I'm using in this story. Besides that, I've read too many fanfics with these general personality traits for K-Unit to even think of the characters in any other way.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please do follow, favorite, and/or review the story! Any response is welcome and greatly valued.**


	11. Fitness and Skills Testing

**A/N: Thank you to the two people who have followed and favorited the story since the last chapter!**

 **aniseed flower: Thank you for the lengthy review! One of the reasons why I love fanfiction is the insight on the different perspectives each person has about the same characters that we all know and love. And your review definitely gave me that insight! I never got why everyone writes Eagle as a big kid either but I suspect it has something to with his code name, a reference to bird brain perhaps. While most depictions of Eagle are pretty unrealistic, I think the idea is still a good one since their line of work needs someone to make light of things. Just maybe not to the extent that most portray Eagle as. Also, for the blood in the spot where he was sniped, I agree that the properties of blood would mean that it would have been washed away. I'm pretty sure that I've only done those scenes in Alex's perspective so far though. So while the actual blood would have been washed away, I believe Alex would have still seen a dark spot there as a result of the memories. I suppose whether this is a literal or metaphorical dark spot in Alex's mind is up to the reader's imagination. :) And I did see the hint about the next book! Can't wait for that to come out! I wonder if Jones will actually keep her promise to not manipulate him in the new book. As for writing faster, I'm trying! I even use my lunch hours at work on this story! xD**

 **This chapter was originally going to be about the two months of SAS training but, as I did the planning for the chapter, I quickly realized that it wouldn't work out very well as one chapter. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this!**

Wolf groaned at the sound of a creaking bed as someone tossed and turned repeatedly in their sleep. As unit leader, he had learned to be a light sleeper so that he could look out for his team. He listened to the sounds, trying to guess who it was. It didn't sound like Eagle. His weapons expert was still snoring loudly. That guy could sleep through a hurricane. It didn't sound like Snake. His medic wasn't in the direction that the sound was coming from. It didn't sound like Badger either. His communications expert had just sighed in his sleep. That was everyone in his unit, wasn't it? A moment later, Wolf mentally slapped himself on the forehead as he realized that he had forgotten Cub. His eyes snapped open and he turned towards his youngest unit member, wondering what was wrong. The sight made him freeze. Cub's tense body was drenched in sweat, as if struggling against ropes that were binding him, and his mouth was open in a silent scream with tears running down his face. Wolf got out of bed and padded towards the boy. The second his hand touched the teen's shoulder to wake him, Cub's eyes flew open as he rose halfway into a sitting position, fists out in preparation for a fight. They both froze.

"Wolf?" Cub whispered, breathing hard, but relaxing slightly as recognition slowly flooded his eyes.

"Yeah," Wolf whispered back, not sure what to do now that Cub was awake.

The boy scanned Wolf's chest, shoulder, and arm. And then, he scanned the rest of the room. Although Wolf was confused about this, it seemed to satisfy the boy because he relaxed further and whispered, "What were you doing?"

"Waking you from your nightmare," Wolf answered.

Cub was silent. Then, "Sorry."

"It's fine." Making a move to go back to sleep, he stopped and sat on the edge of the boy's bed instead. He might regret this later. "Do you want to talk about it?" Wolf asked awkwardly. Definitely going to regret this later. He blamed his sleep addled brain.

The boy looked up at him amusedly. "Didn't take you for the talking type."

"Shut up," Wolf grunted. Another pause. He should probably try to make up for his unfair treatment of the boy while no one else was watching. "But seriously, all things considered, you're a good kid. One that's in way over their head… If you ever need anything, just ask." Cub nodded mutely with an unreadable expression. Thinking over his offer to the boy, he decided it was too open ended. "And when I say anything, I mean anything important. Don't call me up for alcohol or something just as trivial," Wolf added threateningly. All he got was an amused nod at that.

Thinking of something else in the silence that followed, he said quietly, "And you don't owe me anything. You saved my career. Even if it was by kicking me out of a plane." He got a sombre nod for this. If it wasn't for previous encounters, Wolf thought, he would be wondering if the kid could speak at all. Deciding this was as much time as he could stand to be alone with Cub, he finished up by warning, "Don't tell anyone about this conversation. Or I'll string you up by your wrists and leave you hanging in the middle of the assault course."

"Obviously." This time, Wolf got a small smile from the boy. Nodding once, he got up and padded over to his bed. Halfway there, he heard his name as the boy spoke again. Wolf turned around to see Cub walking towards the door of the hut while saying, "Thank you. And my nightmare was about the people I have lost and could have lost."

And then, Cub was gone. Dazedly, Wolf went back to bed, wondering what the boy could have experienced to have a nightmare like that and completely forgetting that his unit could be in trouble with the sergeant if Cub was caught outside during the night. It was only when he was about to drift off to sleep that he realized what Cub had been trying to tell him. He had been one of the people in the boy's nightmare. Suddenly, his youngest unit member's scan of his upper body made much more sense. He had been shot in those exact places at Point Blanc. And after the nightmare, the boy had been reassuring himself that Wolf was still alright. Jaw clenching, he fell asleep with a promise to himself that he would do everything he could to protect his youngest unit mate.

Meanwhile, Alex had headed to the showers to wash off the sweat from his nightmare. Normally, he would have grimaced at the cold water beating down on his back due to having no hot faucets. But it was perfect at the moment. He didn't know why his nightmares had come back in full force but he could see it being a problem at the camp. Especially when Wolf seemed to be a light sleeper. The soldier baffled him. He could be angry with him one minute and almost kind in the next. Alex didn't know where he stood with the man. Sighing, he headed towards the forest again after toweling off and putting his camouflage training outfit back on. Save for reacting on a case by case basis, there wasn't any other way to deal with Wolf for now. He could try to deal with his nightmares by doing combat breathing and meditations though. Once he found a relatively dry clearing, Alex took in a deep breath of the crisp air as he sat down and closed his eyes to start the exercises, focusing on the sounds of the forest instead of his thoughts. Before he knew it, an hour had passed and it was time for breakfast. Getting up, he stretched out his back and legs before warming himself up by running to K-Unit's hut.

"Where the hell is Cub?!" Alex heard Wolf yelling as he approached the hut. "I swear if he got caught out at night by the Sarge, I'm going to skin him alive!"

Alex opened the door to the sight of K-Unit scrambling around to get ready in time so they wouldn't miss breakfast. It looked like they had woken up late. "Right here," he smirked. "See you in the mess hall."

Leaving his unit to prepare for the day, Alex jogged over to the mess hall for breakfast, taking care to pay attention to any trouble that the soldiers might give him. When he walked in, the other units were already there and they fell into a tense silence with curious looks directed his way. Ignoring them, he collected his food from the kitchen staff, thanking them quietly. The staff looked at him with a startled, hesitant smile. He guessed that they didn't normally get any appreciation from the soldiers. Maybe he would talk to them later, if he ever had a spare moment. Turning towards the tables, he chose to sit as far away as he could from the other units. The man that attacked him last night, Lion, was still glaring at him, along with his unit. The other unit seemed to be shooting him furtive glances and communicating silently with each other. His breakfast was uninterrupted for exactly three minutes.

"Cub, right?" The friendlier of the two units had moved over to where he was sitting.

"Yes," he answered, looking up at the muscular man and shifting slightly to a more defensible position. "Can I help you?"

"We're J-Unit, a part of the mobility troop. I'm Tiger, unit leader," the soldier introduced. "That's Otter, the medic. Bat, demolitions and weapons expert. Horse, communications expert," he finished up, pointing to each person.

"Might want to watch out for B-Unit," Otter piped up. "Lion's got a nasty streak when he feels threatened or humiliated. And I think you did both last night. His unit is a part of the boat troop. There's Zebra for their medic, Hawk for dems, and Squirrel for comms," he continued, discretely pointing out each member of B-Unit.

Alex nodded, relaxing slightly. "Thanks for the heads up."

"No problem," Tiger said. "You're a little young to be here. Most don't take that too well."

"What are you training for anyways, Cub?" Horse asked curiously.

"I don't think I'm supposed to tell you," Alex answered hesitantly.

"Did you really pickpocket matches from the sergeant on a training exercise?" Bat asked excitedly. The demolitions expert had been impatiently waiting for the opportunity to question the boy about the things that he was rumoured to have done. Horse looked at his teammate with an irritated expression, wanting to press the boy for answers that were more relevant to their current training.

"Yeah, he did! Saved us from spending the night in the cold! It was bloody brilliant!" Eagle exclaimed cheerfully as K-Unit finally joined them, startling J-Unit. Tiger and his team had been too focused on playing nice to notice anything else. Alex just mentally sighed. He had known K-Unit was in the mess hall, eavesdropping on the conversation, as soon as they had walked in.

"We were doing one of those point-to-point marches," Snake added quietly. "It had been raining hard all day and everything was wet and slippery. Didn't think Cub would make it. But he did. Kept to his allotted time pretty well too. And he was a few inches shorter than he is now. When he showed up, Wolf had been trying to get a fire started for the past ten minutes, without any luck. Cub just tossed the pack of matches to Wolf and went into his tent."

J-Unit and Badger whistled, having avidly listened to the story. "Damn, Cub. You've got some guts," Bat said appraisingly while Wolf just grunted his agreement. Point-to-point marches were known for being grueling. It was to prepare them for the final endurance march through harsh conditions. They could last anywhere between three to twelve hours, the endurance march being twenty hours. It sounded like the one Snake had just described was one of the longer ones. Risking the sergeant yelling and binning you after one of those days would have been the last thing anyone wanted.

Alex shrugged, not seeing it that way. He had been so close to giving up that night. His uncle's death, finding out Ian had been lying to him for his whole life, blackmailed into finishing Ian's job, the harsh training with K-Unit, and Wolf's constant demeaning remarks and sabotage. Everything had just been too much. He would have given up if the sergeant hadn't shown a sliver of kindness and told him to keep going.

Seeing the conversation come to a dead end, Snake abruptly switched topics. "Cub, your file said you had a recent bullet wound to your arm. I'm giving you a medical check-up after breakfast," he stated. J-Unit looked at him in alarm.

"No," Alex responded automatically. He was irritated that the medic hadn't even asked, just expected him to go along with it. That kind of behavior was just like every other adult that had ruined his chance at a normal life.

"Cub, as your unit medic, I need to know the state of your health," Snake said with a stern frown.

"No, you don't. I'm not a part of your unit's operations. And I don't trust you when we're not in the field," Alex replied bluntly, looking at each of his original unit members pointedly as a silent reminder that their behavior hasn't exactly inspired trust so far. He did soften the look a bit for Wolf though. After last night, he supposed it wasn't entirely fair to keep holding that sentiment towards the man. "Besides, a doctor at the hospital has already treated the wound and there haven't been any complications. I'm fine."

"How recent is the wound?" Snake asked, switching tactics to get as much information as he could before the boy completely shut them out.

"Two weeks." Everyone at the table gave him concerned looks. A bullet wound that recent shouldn't have been given the clearance to go back to training so soon.

"Cub, let Snake look at it," Wolf growled.

"No," Alex said quietly, a hard look in his eyes. He didn't see what all the fuss was about. MI6 had even set him up to organically end up on his next mission two weeks after he had been sniped. They glared at each other, Wolf and Snake against Alex, while J-Unit tried to make themselves as scarce as possible without actually leaving the table. After a few minutes, even Eagle and Badger were unnerved. No one had ever lasted long in a glaring contest against Wolf. Or Snake in medic mode. And Cub was holding his own really well against both at the same time. Eagle and Badger exchanged looks and seemed to come to an agreement.

"So, Cub...," Eagle said in an attempt to dispel the tension. "How do you have a level 9 clearance?" J-Unit glanced at each other with incredulous expressions at this news. They were coming to realize that the typical assumptions didn't apply to Cub and that they really didn't know anything about the kid.

"I can't tell you," Alex said. Truthfully, he really didn't know why he had such a high clearance level. The heads of MI6 had never let him in on much information so he had always assumed that, other than manipulating him, it was because he didn't have _any_ clearance level.

"How did you get shot?" Badger asked quickly.

"I think that might be classified."

"What kind of missions have you been on?" Eagle asked excitedly.

"Definitely classified."

"Are you injured often on your missions?" Badger quickly followed up.

"Classified." Alex didn't actually know if that was confidential information but it was one that he didn't want to answer. And he was starting to see why the word "classified" was so useful to government employees. In that one word, you could fend off questions within the military and intelligence world that you either couldn't or wouldn't answer, without having to explain yourself.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Eagle asked, a mischievous smile on his face.

"… Classified." That was probably a reasonable answer, seeing as everyone close to him always ended up dead. Eagle was disappointed though, pouting as Badger asked something next.

The questioning continued on for a few more minutes before the two soldiers finally gave up the rapid fire interrogation, admitting defeat in trying to find out more information about the boy. Throughout the whole exchange, Alex's glare at Wolf and Snake had never wavered. Eventually, he had just answered every question with "classified", as the topic was always something to do with MI6 or his complicated past, and the two glaring soldiers gave up on the contest. After that, they ate in silence. It was obvious that the soldiers didn't really know how to talk to a kid. Or maybe they just didn't know how to talk to Alex. He watched as each of the soldiers visibly struggled to come up with something else to say, feeling just fine with the silence even if the units were uncomfortable with it. As he finished eating, a movement at the doorway caught his eye.

"Miss Treat?" Alex called out in confusion, narrowing his eyes at the young woman. The last time he had seen Donna Treat, she had been an undercover supply teacher for physics and chemistry at his school to help fend off a murder attempt by the drug dealer, Skoda, he had dropped onto the law enforcement officials' heads. He owed her his life.

"Cub, good to see you're still alive!" Miss Treat replied with a warm smile, walking towards him. Apparently, she had been briefed on his code name. The soldiers around them stared at her with wide eyes and slack jaws. Being on deployment or training most of the time, they didn't often see women around. Especially not ones that looked good enough to be a movie star with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She even walked like a model. It didn't take long for some of the soldiers to start drooling.

"Like I said before, your name suits you," Alex smirked. "What are you doing here though?" He paused, frowning. "You're my tutor, aren't you?"

Her smile widened, ignoring the soldiers around them. "Got it in one. Jones thought that, since my cover held at your school, I'd be able to help you get caught up in your studies."

Wolf narrowed his eyes at this. "Why would you need - ?!"

"ATTENTION!" The sergeant had walked in, cutting off whatever Wolf was about to say. Hastily, Alex and the units all got up and stood at attention, only relaxing their stance when the command was given. They stayed like that, waiting for the restlessly pacing sergeant to speak. With a suspicious glance at Treat, the sergeant finally growled, "Special Operations wants Cub to be kept as low profile as possible. Since the current batch of selection recruits have reached the point where their training takes place elsewhere, you have now been called in to train Cub. K-Unit will be running the testing today. After the testing, all three units will have the next two months to get Cub through every aspect of selection training while still allowing time for Cub to do his regular schooling with… Miss Treat. Cub is to be trained in every specialization in the unit and the skills needed for the air, boat, and mobility troops. This needs to be done before the next batch of selection recruits come in. If not, all of you will be put on probation again."

Instantly, there was loud protesting from all three units. Not only were they being pulled from duty to focus on training one person, who they didn't think belonged here in the first place, but the time frame was impossible! "SILENCE!" Sergeant Sanders roared. Everyone, except Alex, flinched. "DON'T COMPLAIN TO ME! I DON'T LIKE IT ANY MORE THAN YOU DO, BUT IT IS OUT OF MY HANDS! THIS ORDER COMES STRAIGHT FROM THE HEAD OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS! NOW GET A MOVE ON!"

All of them jumped into a salute before scurrying out of the mess hall, K-Unit to test Alex and the rest to start planning lessons so they fit into the specified time frame. Miss Treat followed Alex to see what she had to work with. She was curious about the boy, who had stirred up so much talk amongst the intelligence agencies and criminal underworld that Jones had instructed her to only use Alex's code name at the camp. She was never to use his real name or even hint at the rumours surrounding the boy. His identity had to be kept secret. The connection between Cub and Alex could not be made at the camp if she could prevent it.

As K-Unit directed him to the assault course, Alex grimaced to himself. They kept saying that he had two months of training but he highly doubted that. Knowing Jones, it was more likely that he would be pulled in the middle of training to complete a mission before coming back or he would be pulled near the end of the two months. He wondered if he should mention this to the sergeant as a warning. It probably didn't matter. The soldiers were going to hate him for this anyways. Alex mentally sighed as he remembered the sergeant saying that everyone would be put on probation if he didn't pass selection training in two months. Jones sure did know how to motivate him, Alex smiled grimly to himself while wiping away some of the heavy rain that had settled onto his eyelashes.

"Alright, Cub," Wolf said sourly as they reached the muddy assault course. "The first one is called a Personal Fitness Test. You do as many sit-ups as you can in two minutes, as many press-ups as you can in the same time, and a 1.5 mile run as fast as you can. We'll start with the sit-ups."

Alex nodded and dropped to the ground to prepare for the test. "Go!" Wolf instructed, starting the timer. As Alex began, he counted the number of sit-ups he did, feeling the satisfying burn in his abs.

"How many?" Wolf barked at him when the two minutes were up.

"53." Wolf looked to the rest of K-Unit to confirm the count. They nodded and Wolf recorded it on the clipboard he was holding.

"Alright, let's see your press-ups then." Wolf waited for Alex to get into position. Then, "Go!"

Again, Alex counted the number he did. Although, this time, he shifted his weight so that his left arm had to work harder. It was to accommodate his bullet wound in his right arm, which hadn't completely healed yet. Snake narrowed his eyes as he noticed the shift but didn't say anything. It wouldn't do any good anyways, since the boy was so stubborn about not submitting to a medical check-up. He resigned himself to observing Cub from afar until he earned the boy's trust. Snake had a feeling that it would be a long process.

Once the two minutes were up, Wolf looked at Alex expectantly. Breathing heavily, Alex reported, "45." He shifted uncomfortably as Wolf checked the count with his unit again, trying to ease the pain that had built up in his chest where he had been sniped. The shift in weight during the press-ups had probably strained his left side too much. Snake didn't miss this either but, not knowing the cause, added it to the list of things to ask Cub about later.

"Run a lap around this assault course," Wolf instructed. Alex guessed that would be his 1.5 mile run. As soon as Wolf gave him the go ahead, he took off. Despite the mud and rain mixing in with his sweat, Alex actually found it enjoyable and freeing. It had been awhile since he had been able to just run as a form of exercise. No football and no madmen, or their lackeys, pursuing him in an attempt on his life. Breathing hard, he was disappointed when he reached the end of the run. "10:20," Wolf told him. "Not bad, Cub. You passed the test. Now, take a breather and stretch out your muscles. You're doing the assault course next."

Alex nodded, still trying to catch his breath, and started stretching. It wouldn't do to pull a muscle in the middle of the assault course because he hadn't warmed up properly. While he was stretching, he could feel everyone's gaze on him. Alex didn't have to wait long for someone to start speaking.

"So, Wolf, how does Cub kicking you out of a plane save your career?" Snake asked casually. Everyone, including Miss Treat, looked at the medic in surprise before Wolf turned his glare on Alex, stalking towards the boy. He stopped when Snake warned, "Don't take it out on Cub. He didn't tell me a thing."

"How did you know then?" Wolf growled, glaring at the medic.

"I'm not exactly a heavy sleeper," Snake replied in an amused voice.

"Little Cub kicked you out of a plane and survived?" Eagle asked in amazement. "When was this? What happened? Why did Cubby kick you out?"

The unit looked at Wolf expectantly, waiting for an answer, while Alex just continued with his stretches. After a few moments of silence, Wolf eventually muttered reluctantly, "I was afraid of heights and the parachute exercise during selection got to me."

Snake raised an eyebrow. "You're afraid of heights but you're in the air troop?"

"Who would've thought that our fearless leader is afraid of heights!" Eagle laughed. "Don't worry, Wolf, everyone is afraid of something. You're still one of the best soldiers I've ever worked with."

"I'm not afraid of heights anymore!" Wolf protested. "Cub made sure of that with his little stunt."

"So, what you're saying is that, after all of the shit you put Cub through, he still had the heart to make sure you passed selection and didn't end your career?" Badger asked, eyes flashing in anger as he wasn't one to let injustices slide. The boy must be a saint. And even though he had only known him for a day, there was just something about Cub that drew people in.

"Shut up," Wolf snapped half-heartedly.

"No, I will not shut up!" Badger responded in a tight voice. "He saved your career and you still treated Cub like shit yesterday! How can you - "

"Badger," Alex interrupted forcefully. A unit shouldn't be arguing amongst themselves and he didn't think this was worth risking the team's cohesion either. Alex only continued once the soldier turned around to look at him. "I saved his career. He saved my life later. Leave it be. I appreciate it and know you mean well but I can take care of myself. Whatever happens is between me and Wolf. And we've already settled our differences."

There was silence at this, only the sound of rain and men shouting in the distance could be heard. Eventually, Badger said defeatedly, "Fine. But if you ever want someone to help step in, I'm here." Alex nodded, grateful that at least his own unit didn't hate him this time. Miss Treat looked at Alex appraisingly, impressed with how the situation had been handled. She knew that the boy was more mature than those his age but the ease that he managed to diffuse an argument between soldiers over his own mistreatment was something else altogether. Most people, regardless of age, would have encouraged the conflict as long as it was in their favour. With the impossible training before him, the boy's mature attitude just might help him make it out successfully.

"Alright, Cub, get started on the assault course," Wolf said quietly. "What was your best time the last time you were here?"

"17:00." Alex had started out with 25:00 but had cut it down to this more acceptable time by the end of his eleven days' training. He had been quite proud of the achievement.

The man nodded and Alex took off at a run as soon as Wolf started the stopwatch, mentally going over what he remembered to be the most difficult parts of the assault course. Soon, he came to a six foot wall and leapt, stretching out his hands to grab hold of the top so he could pull himself up. Jumping down, he took off running again. After army crawling under low nets, climbing over bars of various heights, crossing a high net, climbing up and down ropes, and climbing a net that was set against a ten foot wall with running in between each task, Alex finally came to the end of the course. Covered in mud, sweat, and rain, he jogged back to K-Unit at the beginning of the assault course.

"16:50," Wolf reported. "Let's see if we can lower it down further next time. The current record is held by me at 12:00."

The rest of the day passed in this way, doing various assessments. Languages were tested by Wolf for Spanish, Badger for French, and the languages training officer for the other languages in his file. At the end of it, he got a choice between working on Italian or Japanese, his weakest languages, during the rest of the training. Miss Treat would be cooperating with the language training officer to help Alex learn faster. Since Italian was closer to the other languages he already knew so it was easier to do self-study for, Alex chose to work on Japanese. His previous resolve to learn Russian and Chinese could wait.

After languages, the whole unit tested him on hand-to-hand combat. They had Alex spar with each of them individually and the only person Alex could beat was Snake, who was the weakest of the unit in this area despite the man's speed and agility. That didn't mean the medic wasn't good in a fight though. Alex knew from the man's file that sparring with knives against the man would have had a very different outcome.

Disgruntled at being beaten, Snake continued the assessment with basic first aid in the field. Alex got most of it right, remembering his training from the first time at the camp, which was good enough to pass the test for now. After these next two months, he would be expected to know much more. Although, one thing that bothered him about this test was how much he held back his knowledge of certain body parts. There were a few times when he knew how to treat the wounds but, thanks to his time with SCORPIA, could have also told the medic how to maximize the pain. SCORPIA's lessons on torture had been very detailed and graphic, complete with a live demonstration. Other times, he knew which plants could help with pain or other symptoms but held back his knowledge on poisonous and flammable plants. While he knew that Snake was aware of his distracted state on these questions, the man didn't say anything, just kept going with the testing.

At the end of the first aid exam, they moved on to something called the Annual Fitness Test, otherwise known as the Combat Fitness Test. Although this didn't normally include testing map reading and navigational skills, they decided to give Alex a map so they could combine the exercises to save time. Handing Alex a 55-pound bergen, K-Unit dropped him off in the middle of nowhere, dressed in full combat gear, and told him the destination that he was supposed to march to within two hours. It was an eight mile journey through hills and mountains with the occasional woodland. Throughout the march, Alex struggled to walk against the heavy rain that was blinding him as the winds travelled horizontally at, what he guessed was, around forty miles per hour. The winds had made his limbs stiff with cold and he had fallen a few times, resulting in some rocks and branches cutting into his skin. By the end of it, he was utterly exhausted and stumbled the last few yards towards K-Unit and Miss Treat.

"Exactly two hours, Cub. Not bad but you'll be expected to make it in less time than that once you've completed training," Wolf told him gruffly. "Let's head to the shooting range."

Tiredly, Alex nodded and took the heavy bergen off his back. He was grateful when Badger took the pack from him and carried it the rest of the way to the shooting range. Alex silently followed while the unit laughed at some joke that Eagle had made. Miss Treat walked beside him, examining the fresh cuts on his face and hands. It seemed that the soldiers were uncertain about what to make of the woman tagging along behind them so they did their best to ignore her presence.

"Cub, your file said you could shoot," Wolf growled when they reached the range. "But you weren't allowed anywhere near a gun when you were with us last time. How, and when, did you learn?"

"Classified," Alex sighed out. He didn't want to talk about the truth and the cover that Blunt had given him was confidential information.

The unit let out a frustrated growl in unison. "Why is everything with you classified?!" Wolf snapped.

"Because _I_ am classified," Alex responded dryly.

As K-Unit didn't know what to make of that answer, Wolf just handed him a Sig Sauer P226 and told him to disassemble and reassemble it as fast as he could. Alex slowly took the gun, recalled SCORPIA's lessons, and cleared his mind of all distractions before doing as he was told, letting muscle memory take over his movements. As he stripped the gun down and put it back together, Alex recited, "Reliable Swiss-made pistol that is popular with military and law enforcement all around the world. Uses .356sig, .40SW, or 9mm rounds with a standard magazine capacity of 15. The SAS often fit it with an extended 20-rounds magazine when they carry it on counter-terrorism operations."

When he finished, Alex looked up to see K-Unit and Miss Treat staring at him with their mouths wide open. He arched an eyebrow at them in a silent question. It had been the standard and no one had batted an eye at SCORPIA so he didn't see what was so surprising.

Snapping out of it, Wolf looked at the stopwatch and said, "15 seconds. Jesus Christ, Cub. Even Eagle can only do it in 23 seconds. Where the hell did you learn that?"

"Can we see Cub shoot now?" Eagle asked, more excited than ever instead of disgruntled at being beaten.

In response, Alex stepped up to one of the lanes and started firing off shots, almost without looking. He had emptied out all 5 of the remaining rounds in the magazine. Seeing the results, he winced. Although there were five holes in the target, all of them hit the centre. He hadn't meant to be that accurate with his shots. Slowly, he turned around to the sight of the sergeant, all three units, and Miss Treat gaping at him. Apparently, it had been time for everyone to check on the progress of his assessment.

"Cub," the sergeant slowly said. "You were doing instinctive firing. Only assassins and elite soldiers are trained in that. Where did you learn?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's classified," Alex replied in a monotone voice.

The sergeant stared hard at him for a few moments before finally nodding. "Alright then. Go with your tutor for your school assessment. K-Unit, report on Cub's tests."

For the rest of the day, Alex was assessed on his school subjects. After Miss Treat tested him in the mandatory courses of Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and English, she marked down the gaps in his knowledge. Then, she began testing his chosen GCSE subjects of History, Geography, and Drama. French was left out as it had already been tested earlier that day. It was only after all of this that Alex was let go for dinner.

Even though Alex had missed lunch again and was starving, he went to take a shower first. There were three medics here at the moment. Dealing with one was enough so Alex wanted to avoid showering at the same time as everyone else. Done cleaning himself off, he jogged through the muddy camp grounds to the mess hall for his much needed dinner. Once again, all of the units were there already. Alex went to grab his food, smiling and thanking the kitchen staff, and then made his way to K-Unit. He plopped himself down on the bench and began eating while everyone around him grumbled on about whatever had been served that night. The food wasn't great but it was full of calories and nutrients. And that was all that mattered to Alex. As he finished up his dinner and passed Lion on the way out of the mess hall, he heard the man mutter "Double-o-nothing" at him. Alex ignored the soldier and went back to his hut. Wanting to do his meditations, Alex ended up thinking that Wolf's old nickname was making a comeback before he fell asleep almost as soon as he sat down on the bed. It had been an exhausting day.

 **A/N: Donna Treat isn't a part of the books but she is in one of the Alex Rider short stories that Anthony Horowitz wrote. I will be making references to some of these short stories when I'm writing this story.**

 **According to some of the research I've done, the threshold for passing the personal fitness test in Alex's gender and age group is doing 50 sit-ups in 2 minutes, 44 press-ups in 2 minutes, and the 1.5 mile run in less than 10 minutes and 30 seconds. The annual fitness test, regardless of age or gender, is supposed to be done within 2 hours while carrying a 25kg (around 55 lbs.) rucksack.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please follow, favorite, and/or review the story. I would love to know what your thoughts are on the story so far and what you think will happen (or what you want to happen) next!**


	12. Hills Phase

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed the story since the last chapter! It makes me so happy and motivated to know that there are people who actually want to read my story!**

 **aniseed flower: Thank you for a second, long review! I'm glad that my logic about the dark spot makes sense. And it's okay if you act like you're 12! No matter what age, it's always nice to get some acknowledgment. :) About Jones manipulating Alex in the books, I agree that she would get more out of him by treating him as a person. We can already see the difference between Alex's relationship with Blunt (much more cold and antagonistic) vs. with Jones (more open to talking). I'd hope that Jones is smart enough to recognize that in the next book. And yes, Alex does get into enough difficult situations without any help! If you've ever read some of the AR short stories that Anthony Horowitz has written, I find it quite funny how Alex manages to just stumble across major crimes that make it to every news station while he's out trying to just live his life.**

 **Oriande Moonshadow: Thank you for the review! When I was writing the legal emancipation part, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea so I'm glad someone likes it!**

 **So far, it seems like I'm taking about two weeks to update most of my chapters. This chapter took longer than I anticipated to write but it's longer so I hope that makes up for the extra week it took to update. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it!**

Snake growled as he was pulled from his sleep at 0400 hours for the second time in as many days. Someone had just thrown their heavy boot at him. Blearily glaring at the offending object, he heard someone struggling in their sleep. Cub. Sighing, he realized that Wolf had thrown the boot to wake him up faster. It had been decided last night that he was the best person to deal with Cub's nightmares the next time it happened. Besides, there was a reason that he was the unit medic. Rubbing his eyes, Snake sat up to look at the source of his disturbed rest. Instantly, he was on his feet. Wolf really hadn't been exaggerating when he had described the results of Cub's nightmares. Hesitantly, Snake reached out a hand to shake the boy's shoulder. And froze. Not because Cub's reaction had startled him. Wolf had given him plenty of warning to prepare him for the boy's behavior. Rather, it was because he didn't want to make any movements to disorient the boy further.

"Snake?" Cub whispered hoarsely, panting as he slowly started to recognize his surroundings.

"Yeah," he whispered back.

"Sorry to wake you," Cub said quietly, eyes downcast.

"It's fine," Snake assured the boy. "Was it the same as last night?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cub shook his head. He studied the boy, trying to think of what might prevent Cub from wanting to talk about his problems. Didn't all teens complain about how horrible their life was? Then again, he had never once heard the boy complain. Not even when Wolf took his foulest temper out on the boy during the most miserable of training exercises. Finally, Snake advised on the only thing he could think of. "Everyone has nightmares, Cub. Even soldiers. There's no shame in having them. It helps to talk about it."

Cub gave him an amused look. "I'm not ashamed."

"Then, why don't you talk about it?" Snake asked confusedly.

"Because it's personal," Cub replied. "And complicated. Classified too."

Snake sighed. Everything came back to trust and clearance level. They had really messed up the first time. Now, he couldn't even help the boy by getting him to talk. Maybe he could still help some other way. Hopefully. "Creating a routine before going to bed might reduce the frequency of the nightmares."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cub said, getting up from the bed. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Alright. Don't be out too long. Sarge will hand out punishment duty to the whole unit if he catches you."

Alex nodded and stiffly left the hut. Like the night before, he took his shower before heading into the forest for his combat breathing and meditations. An hour later, he was chilled to the bone but much calmer. He moved on to stretching, trying to relieve the soreness of his muscles from the tests. When he felt like he had done enough, Alex jogged back to the hut, joining K-Unit on their way to the mess hall.

"Cubby!" Eagle exclaimed, trying to ruffle Alex's hair. He dodged the soldier's attempt. "Where have you been?"

"Around."

"You don't go back to sleep after waking up from the nightmares, do you?" Snake asked, narrowing his eyes. Alex shook his head. "That's going to be a problem. The training is already exhausting enough and cuts back on sleep." He ignored Alex's sarcastically pointed look that told him it was obvious and to get on with it. "You need to let someone help you with this. If it doesn't get any better, I'm going to have to request a psychological assessment for you."

"I'm fine, Snake," Alex sighed as they entered the mess hall, flashing the kitchen staff a quick smile in greeting when they stood in line to get their food. "I can get it under control." At least he hoped so. He still wasn't sure why the nightmares had come back in full force, even with the meditations.

"You better," Snake said sternly.

"Or Snakey is gonna make your treatment really hard," Eagle sang as they joined the other two units at the table.

"Who's injured?" Otter asked, having only heard Eagle's comment and assumed it was something that needed physical medical attention.

"No one," Wolf growled.

"Just Cub having really bad nightmares," Badger chipped in.

B-Unit snorted derisively. "How bad can a spoiled, rich brat's nightmares be?" Lion spat scornfully. "Your fear of the dark keeping you awake, Double-o-nothing?" The soldier's unit laughed.

"Afraid of becoming a king predator," Alex shot back. It took a few moments for everyone to catch on to what he was implying. When they did, J-Unit and K-Unit widened their eyes, choking back their laughter, while B-Unit grew steadily redder in the face.

"You little - " Lion snarled, lunging at Alex.

"Enough," Tiger commanded, pulling Lion back down into his seat. "Give Cub a break, will you? We've got a tight enough schedule as it is."

Lion scowled but let it go for now and his unit did the same, leaving everyone to finish breakfast in silence as they were still too tired to do much more than eat. Alex knew he would pay for the comment later though, regardless of the fact that it was the truth. The soldiers didn't know that his most recent nightmare had been about the people he had killed on his missions, whether the deaths had been intended or not. Yes, Alex was afraid of becoming a predator. The assassin that SCORPIA had tried to make out of him. A monster.

"Alright, Cub," Wolf growled once everyone finished their last bite. "The first phase of selection is the hills. Basically, you do marches throughout the Brecon Beacons to develop your physical and navigational ability. At the end of this phase, you have test week, where you will do five timed marches, followed by the sketch map and then the endurance march. That requires you to march forty miles in twenty hours while carrying a seventy-pound bergen. In addition, there is a swimming test that you need to pass, where you should be able to swim two miles in ninety minutes or less. Normally, the training takes three weeks and the fourth week is test week. _You_ have two weeks to complete both."

"You got your training schedule from the sergeant on your first day," Tiger took over. "We'll be sticking to that schedule for now but it will be adjusted depending on your progress. The units decided last night that we're going to combine your marches with theory lessons and anything else your tutor decides to lecture on. We'll be taking turns training you so each unit has time to plan the next lesson and do our own refresher courses. You're with K-Unit for the assault course first. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Alex sat straighter, feeling the unit leaders' shift into their role as his training officers.

"Let's go then," Wolf grunted.

When they got to the assault course, K-Unit had him run through the course twice, yelling at him the whole time. "Pathetic," Wolf snapped after the first run. 16:45. His time had only improved marginally. The second time, Alex pushed himself even harder, ignoring the pain in his arm when he pulled himself up and over the wall. Splattered with mud, he jogged back to K-Unit, panting while wiping the sweat and rain off his face with the back of his hand. "Abysmal," Wolf snarled, showing him the stopwatch. 16:41. Only a few seconds off.

"Alright, group run is next," Badger said.

"Cub, do you remember how to run the course as a unit?" Snake asked.

"Mostly, sir. I'll need a refresher."

His unit nodded and gave him a brief rundown of how to do it as a unit. "Remember, Cub, comms and medics are always in the middle of the patrol," Eagle instructed as they got into position, waiting for Wolf to start the stopwatch. "You're going to be taking over my position today so you're the TEC."

"Go!" Wolf barked.

And the unit took off. Eagle lead them, followed by Snake and Badger. Alex did his best to keep up, succeeding for the most part, but he could tell that they had slowed down to let him get a feel for things. When they got to the ten-foot wall, the climbing nets from the individual run were gone, attached to the six foot wall instead. This left a higher wall for them to climb over as a team. Snake and Badger formed a foothold with their hands to lift Eagle up onto the top of the wall. Once Eagle was up, Badger motioned for him to help do the same for Snake. There was a twinge of pain in his arm as they lifted Snake but he ignored it. Then, they backed up, Badger doing a running leap with Alex following when Eagle and Snake had finished pulling the soldier up. After climbing over the wall, they ran through the rest of the assault course, trying not to slip in the mud. On the last stretch of their run, Alex suddenly felt a prickling feeling on the back of his neck. Instantly, he ducked down, calling for the others to do the same while scanning their surroundings. He didn't even think. The crack of a shot rang out a moment later.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, CUB?!" Wolf bellowed, jogging over to them. "YOUR TIME IS 18:57 AND THAT WAS THE WORST TEC JOB I'VE EVER SEEN! YOUR ONLY REDEEMING FACTOR WAS KNOWING WHEN TO DUCK!" Alex loosened his tensed body a little, understanding that Wolf had fired a blank to test him. "NOW DROP AND GIVE ME 50!"

Wordlessly, Alex dropped down and did the 50 press-ups. When he was done, Wolf was still pacing angrily while the rest of his unit was frowning at him. "Cubby, do you know what you did wrong?" Eagle asked.

"I should have been paying attention to our surroundings, especially behind us."

"Damn right, you should have!" Wolf snarled. "If this were in the field, the whole unit could be dead!"

"Lay off him," Badger said warningly. "From what I've gathered, you never included him in the exercises last time which means he just tagged along and this is his first time training for these roles. I'm sure he'll do better next time."

"Besides, what I want to know is how you knew Wolf was going to shoot if you weren't paying attention," Snake added quietly with a calculative look. That piqued the whole unit's interest.

"I _didn't_ know," Alex answered uncomfortably. "It was just a feeling."

There was silence for a long moment as the unit decided if he was telling the truth or not. Finally, Snake said, "We've run out of time. Go to the shooting range. J-Unit is waiting for you there."

"Yes, sir!" Alex saluted the soldiers and left, berating himself for letting down his guard. He was training for better survival skills, not fooling around with friends on a school trip! Alex reached the firing range, annoyed with himself, and tried to clear his mind for the next lesson. Walking towards J-Unit, he stood at attention.

"At ease," Tiger said. "From yesterday's testing, you seem to be quite familiar with handguns. But we don't know how much knowledge you have so we'll run through the handguns and their history quickly before moving on to rifles."

"If there is anything we're covering that you already know," Otter added, "tell us immediately so we can move the lessons along."

"Yes, sir."

At Tiger's gesture, Alex stepped forward to a table that had been set up for the lesson. There were several types of guns displayed. He knew most of them. Bat pointed at one and said, "This one is a P228. You should be familiar enough with it as it is a variant of the P226 that you were using yesterday. This one is only available in the 9mm rounds. Since it's more compact than the P226, we use it for close protection and undercover work. Any questions?"

"No, sir. I already know this."

J-Unit studied him for a moment. Then, "How about you point to all the guns that you already know and give us a summary of them?" Horse proposed slowly.

Alex nodded and then pointed to a gun. "Browning Hi Power. Military designates it as the L9A1. 9mm rounds, 13 magazine capacity. Single action, semi-automatic pistol so it has to be cocked before firing the first round. That is to say, the hammer has to be pulled back first. Because of this, it's better to carry it cocked with the safety catch on so you can draw and fire it more quickly. One of the flaws is that the standard trigger pull is heavy. It also has a tendency to "bite" the web of the shooter's hand. It was based on a design by an American firearms inventor and finished by a Belgian small arms designer. Originally developed in response to French military requirements for a new service pistol. This gun was replaced in the military by the Glock 17 and Sig Sauer P226."

And so he went on to summarize the rest of the guns that he knew in the same fashion. Alex did this with the various Sig Sauer, Glock, Smith & Wesson, Colt, and Beretta models they had, among many others. When he was finished with the handguns, he moved on to the rifles and machine guns, reciting the information from his memory of Gordon Ross' lectures during his SCORPIA training on the island, Malagosto. Sometimes, he went into more detail about the history and uses of each weapon than was necessary, forgetting that this wasn't a SCORPIA test. As he finally finished talking about the last gun, half an hour after he started, Alex looked up at J-Unit and winced inwardly. His training officers were staring at him with their mouths open.

Snapping out of it, Tiger cleared his throat and asked, "Are you a gun enthusiast or something?"

"A survivor," Alex stated, only just realizing how true that was. Even though he had lived through all of his missions, he had never consciously associated that word with himself before now.

"Jesus Christ, Cub! You know more than most recruits do!" Otter exclaimed in wonder.

"Some of the history was even news to me and I'm the weapons expert of the unit!" Bat added.

"Where did you learn all this?" Horse asked.

"Classified."

The soldiers didn't know what to think of that so, after a moment of silence, they filled him in on the guns that he didn't know and moved on to firing practice. "I think we can all agree from your assessment yesterday that your shots with a handgun are exceptional, Cub. Do you know how to shoot a rifle or machine gun though?" He hadn't trained with SCORPIA long enough to practice with rifles and machine guns so Alex shook his head, telling them that he didn't know how to shoot normally either. They raised their eyebrows at this new information. Learning to shoot instinctively without knowing the normal way was very unusual. J-Unit didn't comment on it though, just proceeded to teach him the normal way first to prepare him for learning how to shoot with a rifle and machine gun. Instinctive firing didn't work too well with those bigger weapons. As they shouted instructions and insults at him, the soldiers quickly found that Alex picked up normal shooting quite easily, even if his shots weren't as accurate as when he used instinctive firing. Within ten minutes, he had a 60% rate of accuracy. They wanted to see how much more accurate the shots could be if Alex had more time but they were on a tight schedule so J-Unit decided to use the remaining twenty minutes of the lesson for shooting with rifles and machine guns. Alex learned these quite quickly as well. If J-Unit were unnerved by the speed which Alex picked up these skills, they didn't show it.

"Alright," Tiger called out when it was time for the next lesson. "That's enough for today. You're with B-Unit for hand-to-hand combat in the training field now. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" Alex saluted them and jogged over to the training field, cursing the soldiers' planning in his head. He could already sense the trouble that would result from having B-Unit teach him hand-to-hand combat. Grimly shifting his mindset in preparation for the lesson, Alex walked into the training field towards the glaring soldiers and stood at attention.

"At ease," Lion snapped reluctantly. Then with a feral grin, he sneered, "You're going up against each of us in turns, Double-o-nothing. I bet you'll be crying and demanding to go home by the end of it."

Zebra stepped forward, signaling that he was up against the medic first. Circling each other, Alex used the time to study his opponent. Tall and well-built. Alex was already at a disadvantage by size. From experience, brute force wouldn't work well against the soldier. Actually, it wouldn't work well against most of the soldiers. He was shorter than most of them. If brute force was out, that left speed and redirecting the momentum of an attack.

Suddenly, Zebra struck faster than Alex had anticipated. He barely blocked the punch in time. For the next few minutes, the rest of the world faded away as Alex focused on the fight and ignored the jeering soldiers, reacting with his instincts and attacking whenever he saw an opportunity. A couple of times, he made the soldier stumble for a second as his redirection of the momentum made Zebra lose his balance but the man always regained the upper hand quickly. The fight ended with Zebra pushing him in the chest while hooking a foot around his leg to kick him behind the knee. Alex fell flat onto his back, both of them panting for breath.

"How… does… that… move… work?" Alex asked between breaths, getting up from where he had fallen.

"Figure it out," Zebra sneered, leaving their designated sparring area to let the next person fight.

The rest of the matches went similarly with Alex only beating Squirrel, their communications expert. Every time they beat him with a move he'd never seen before, Alex would ask how it worked or how to do it but they never gave him an answer, only mocking him for not knowing. Receiving the same answers to his questions after the last match, against Lion, Alex gritted his teeth and growled, "You're not going to teach me anything, are you? All you want is an excuse to beat me up without getting into trouble."

B-Unit exchanged smirks and in the next second, Alex was suddenly attacked by all four SAS soldiers. They weren't holding back either. Not that they had held back before but there was a distinctly vicious feel to their movements this time. Blow after blow rained down on him, Alex doing the best he could to block the ones to his head and other vital organs. There was a moment of blind panic when he thought that the soldiers just might beat him to death.

"You think you can just walk in to a camp for elite soldiers and train, Double-o-nothing?" Alex heard one of the soldiers snarl at him. "What right do you have? You're just a spoiled brat! Your rich daddy probably paid your way in!"

"K-Unit told us about your classified file," another soldier growled. "Who do you think you're fooling? It's probably so classified because the government doesn't want anyone to know they're wasting taxpayers' money on you!

"This isn't a game and your presence is a mockery to all soldiers!" Alex heard another soldier finish up. "You'll never know what it's like to actually fight a war! To lose a comrade, a brother!"

Suddenly, Alex was angry. He's faced several psychopaths and stopped multiple terrorist plots on his own, nearly being killed in the process! His uncle and sister had died by being involved in this! He was just as much a part of the war as these soldiers were, only operating in a different way! It was always the same. Every time, he would go from being patted on the back for saving the world to being treated like a child that knew nothing about the world. Even among people in similar lines of work, he was treated this way. It couldn't go on. From civilians, he could accept. From military and law enforcement, he couldn't. Those were the people he was supposed to be working with and if they treated him this way, they weren't going to work very effectively. He would show these soldiers that he wasn't the rich, spoiled brat they believed him to be. With a focus that only came from fighting for his life, Alex recalled Yassen's advice and started his combat breathing exercises while blocking the blows, clearing his mind like SCORPIA had taught him so many months ago. Mind blank, he scanned his surroundings, detachedly analyzing everything. _Take out the weakest first. That will allow him to have one less person to worry about at least. A previously injured leg, judging from the way the other leg was favored. Good place to target. Rage and arrogance. His opponents will make more mistakes._

Within a few seconds, he was done his analysis and abruptly threw his whole body to the side, the momentum knocking Squirrel backwards. Using a quick strike to a pressure point an inch below the base of the ear that SCORPIA had taught him, Alex rendered the comms expert unconscious. Before the rest of the unit could recover from the surprise of his sudden offense tactics, Alex had rolled back into a fighting stance, grabbing a handful of mud along the way, and snapped a leg out, his foot slamming into Hawk's solar plexus. A strained groan told him he had succeeded in winding the man. That was all he could do before Lion and Zebra were onto him, snarling in rage. Alex dodged a punch from the unit leader to get closer to the medic, blocking Zebra's strike and lobbing the handful of mud in Lion's direction to blind the man at the same time. Then, he kicked the medic's previously injured leg with all his might. Howling in pain, the man's leg gave out from under him but Alex had no time to check the extent of the damage as Lion barreled into him. He lay on his back, Lion sitting on top of him with mud running down the man's face, and Alex shielded his face with his arms as the unit leader punched him again. Through a gap in his arms, Alex watched the trajectory of the next punch and shot out a hand, twisting Lion's wrist while bucking the man off. The unit leader could only cry out in surprise and pain before Alex struck his temple, knocking him out as well.

"Cub!" Snake yelled, running towards Alex with his unit, closely followed by J-Unit. As they reached him, Snake pulled him closer to check for injuries and asked urgently, "Are you okay? Do you feel any pain or dizziness?" Alex gave him a look, panting to catch his breath. "Okay, bad question. Where do you feel pain?"

"Bruised everywhere... but I'm fine," Alex answered tiredly in between his heavy breathing, letting the medic do his job but making sure that his scars wouldn't be exposed.

A few feet away, the rest of the units were chewing out the conscious members of B-Unit while Otter roughly treated their injuries. Even though all of them were burning with anger, some of them still prevented Wolf from attacking B-Unit a few times so that Otter could do his job. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Wolf roared at B-Unit. "I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T LIKE HIM! I DON'T CARE IF HE PROVOKED YOU! THOSE MOVES YOU USED WERE DESIGNED TO KILL! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAINING CUB, NOT MURDERING HIM! NO ONE MESSES WITH MY UNIT! I KNOW CUB CAN TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF BUT IF YOU _EVER_ DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN, I WILL _PERSONALLY_ SKIN YOU ALIVE, RIP OUT YOUR INTESTESTINES, AND SHOVE THEM INTO YOUR MOUTHS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"We'll be right there with him too," Tiger added in a deadly voice. The two units moved to stand behind the unit leaders, demonstrating their solidarity in the promise. Even Eagle, usually happy and laid back, had a stony expression on his face. Hawk and Zebra, the only conscious members of B-Unit, stared up at everyone with wide, fearful eyes and nodded meekly.

Satisfied with the response for now, Wolf stalked towards Alex. "YOU!" Wolf snarled. "You've been holding back! Beating four fully trained soldiers wasn't what you demonstrated yesterday! This isn't the boy scouts, Cub! If we're going to be training you, you better make it worth our while and give it everything you've got! Do you understand?!"

Alex clenched his jaw in silence, trying to decide how to respond. His reflections on the past during the car ride to the camp had made him realize how many people had died on his missions. If he continued to be untrained like he had been so far, the accidental deaths of his adversaries would only keep piling up. Trained, he would be more dangerous but better able to control the resulting deaths. Keeping everything from his unit was bound to backfire on him eventually. At the same time, he couldn't reveal too much.

Furious at the lack of response, Wolf screamed, "I SAID, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Snapping to attention, Alex barked out, "With all due respect, sir, I meant it when I said I was afraid of becoming a predator."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wolf asked angrily.

"It means that fighting at his best is a bad idea," Otter answered for him quietly. Wolf turned his glare on J-Unit's medic. "Hawk might have a hairline fracture on his ribs, Zebra has a broken leg _again_ , and the strikes to Lion and Squirrel could have killed them. Cub has enough skill to be lethal but not enough to control the damage. Judging from the fight we just saw and the amount of damage to B-Unit, we'll all be dead in couple of weeks if Cub gives the fights everything he has."

"Not to mention it seems that the kind of fighting Cub just displayed now is only activated when he feels like it is a life or death situation," Bat commented quietly.

This assessment was met with silence as each soldier tried to process how dangerous the teenager they were supposed to be training could be if pushed far enough. Wolf looked like he was at a loss for how to deal with him. Alex watched as his unit leader's expression flickered between anger and concern. In the end, the silence was broken by Tiger. "Alright, we teach him more hand-to-hand combat techniques but with a heavy focus on control and when to use the moves then."

The soldiers murmured their assent but Snake frowned and said, "Most people don't fight like this though. In order for our lessons to be effective, Cub, we need to know how this happened and what psychological state you're in."

Everyone's attention turned to Alex but he stayed silent, debating how much to tell them. Finally, he said emotionlessly, "Eleven days of SAS training was all I had before I was sent on missions. Almost everyone who has tried to kill me is dead. Most were accidents. Any other information is classified."

"… That doesn't tell us a whole lot," Badger stated slowly.

"It tells you enough." It should, anyways, if they read between the lines.

The soldiers weren't catching on to the underlying implications though so they didn't know what to think, just stood there awkwardly. Eventually Wolf just asked gruffly, "Do you think you can continue today's training, Cub?"

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers already saw him as weaker than them. He didn't need to give them a reason to justify their view. Besides, he needed the training.

"Alright, let's head to the lake then. You're swimming two miles with your training outfit on."

Alex nodded, mentally breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that he would be able to keep his scars hidden. As they headed over to the lake, the soldiers exchanged uneasy glances before J-Unit left to bring B-Unit to the infirmary, unsure of how much more Alex could take after the fight. Their worries were unfounded though. Although the soldiers continued to yell obscenities at him, Alex swam the length in fifty minutes, a decent time, and enjoyed the reprieve from interacting with the men. There was even enough time left in the exercise to practice treading water and diving into the lake from a ten-metre height. At the end of the lesson, Alex got out of the lake and wrung out the bottom of his shirt. Sensing someone's attention directed at him, he looked up to see Wolf staring at his exposed lower torso. Not sure what was wrong, Alex hastily straightened out his shirt again.

"Cub, you're with us for today's ten-mile fan dance march exercise!" Tiger called out. J-Unit had come back in a military truck some time ago with Miss Treat in tow, the soldiers staring at the woman. When Alex reached the truck, they handed him a thirty-five pound bergen, a rifle, a map, and a compass. He geared up in the truck while J-Unit drove to their starting point, Horse explaining that the fan dance was going up and down the hills with combat loads. Once they reached their destination, Tiger stopped the vehicle and told Alex to get out. "Here's how this is going to work," the unit leader explained. "While you're doing the march, we will be driving the truck alongside you so that your tutor can give you lectures for your regular schooling. If a topic comes up that can be related back to your military training, we'll add that in as well. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Get going then."

So, Alex looked at his map and compared it to his surroundings. With big hills on either side of him and rain obscuring the view, everything looked the same. There were only small details that could help to narrow down where they might possibly be. Eventually finding his location, Alex set off in the direction he needed to go and listened as Miss Treat started her lecture.

"We'll start with biology for today," Miss Treat said from her seat in the truck driving along beside him. "I believe your lessons had just started on homeostasis when you left the country. Homeostasis is the ability to maintain a constant internal environment even when the external environment changes. The nervous and endocrine systems control your body's homeostasis through mechanisms in your organs that provide feedback..."

And that was how Alex spent the rest of the march. Listening to the lecture on homeostasis while doing his best to maintain a brisk, steady pace through the rough terrain. After a while, he was shivering from being soaked in rain and sweat with the wind blowing against the direction he was going in. The straps of the thirty-five pound rucksack on his back, digging into his shoulders, only made the journey more difficult. There were times when he looked at the soldiers and his tutor sitting under the covers of the military truck and thought that this must be a form of torture designed to test his mental strength. Checking his map from time to time, Alex hoped that he was going at a decent enough pace. Even his lunch, army rations, was eaten while he kept walking.

"… some examples of homeostasis," he heard Miss Treat finish up, "include temperature control, pH balance, and blood pressure."

"Your body temperature is controlled so that your enzymes are operating at its best. This is usually at 37°C," Otter added. "If you're outside in cold environments for an extended period of time, then there are some ways that you can try to keep warm. These include tucking the bottom of your trousers into your socks, keeping your body moving, and rubbing your wrists. There are pulse points in your wrist where blood vessels come close to the surface of the skin. Warming this area will help heat the blood and spread that to the rest of the body. Also, try to eat complex carbohydrates like whole grains..."

The rest of the march was taken up by the unit lecturing him about survival tips that related back to homeostasis. The medic talked about maintaining blood sugar levels and keeping water content in the body, among many other things. About five hours after he started the march, Alex finally reached his destination. The soldiers nodded their approval and he tiredly got back into the military truck, answering questions during the ride back to camp as he was tested on the lecture he had just received. He passed the test, even if he had forgotten a few things.

Once they arrived at the camp, it was already 1600 hours. Considering the amount of material that he still had to get through, there wasn't much time left in the day. Without taking a shower, Miss Treat had herded him into the mess hall to help him get caught up in his school studies. They went through Maths, Chemistry, and Physics. Before he knew it, four hours had passed and the soldiers trickled in for dinner. The units took one look at Alex and left him to eat in peace. He probably looked as exhausted as he felt. When he finished eating, he took a shower and collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

While Alex was asleep, the soldiers went to report to the sergeant. There was a lot that they had learned about Cub but each new piece of information only raised more questions, confusing them even more. Wolf knocked twice on the door and the two units filed into the office at the sergeant's command, standing at attention.

"At ease," the sergeant said. "Where is B-Unit?"

"In the infirmary, sir. Their hand-to-hand combat session with Cub didn't go too well," Wolf answered.

The sergeant raised an eyebrow in surprise. A teenager shouldn't have been able to beat a whole unit of highly trained soldiers. "I expect details later. Report."

"Cub is doing as we expected on the assault course but he needs to work on each of the individual roles in the unit," Wolf told the sergeant. "He was supposed to be the TEC today but didn't pay attention to his surroundings."

"Wolf shot a blank at us to test him," Snake added. "Even though he wasn't aware of what was going on around him, Cub somehow knew when we were about to be shot."

The sergeant frowned. "Did you get him to tell you how he knew?"

"He told us he didn't know. Just said it was a feeling," Badger answered quietly.

"He seems to be telling the truth," Eagle chipped in.

Everyone in the office only frowned more deeply at this. They all knew that those kinds of instincts were rare. Most of the time, the intuition was developed as a result of experience. It was a troubling thought that a teenager was experienced enough that they could feel when they were being targeted. Eventually, the sergeant instructed, "Keep going."

"Cub has an unusual level of knowledge and familiarity with guns," Tiger reported. "But the strange thing is that we had to teach him normal shooting today. He said that he'd only ever learned how to fire instinctively."

"It was unnerving how quickly he learned too, like he was born to do this," Bat added. "And there was information about the gun models that even the SAS don't teach. If I weren't the weapons expert in the unit, I'd say he knew more than I did."

The soldiers were stunned by this assessment but the sergeant gestured for them to keep talking. Sanders wanted a full picture of the day before they started trying to piece things together. So Otter carried on, detailing B-Unit's injuries and reiterating, for the sergeant, his previous assessment of Alex's level of skill and control. He finished up by saying, "Another unusual thing about the fight is that Cub used pressure point fighting. We all know that technique is extremely dangerous to use and only taught to the elite military. But he's barely trained with us. So where did he learn it? If the strikes to Lion and Squirrel had been any harder, they'd be dead right now. And I don't think Cub knew that."

"The change in his fighting style was curious too," Horse commented, the rest of the soldiers nodding along in agreement. "Even from afar, we could see him taking the hits in the beginning and only having enough time to block the strikes to his vital areas while B-Unit yelled at him. He was struggling to keep up. But something happened. It was like a completely different person took over. Suddenly, Cub became completely calm and his movements were… predatory. But, at the same time, there was a desperate quality to it."

"What did Cub have to say about the fight?" Sergeant Sanders asked, frowning.

"He said that he was afraid of becoming a predator," Snake answered.

"And his time with us last year was all the training he had before he was sent out on missions," Wolf growled. "Said almost everyone who has tried to kill him is dead but most were accidents. What does that even mean?!"

The sergeant sat back in his chair and thought over the words. Slowly, he explained, "It means that he has been forced to survive using whatever means necessary. And that he has deliberately killed in cold blood before. Even though Cub has done it in self-defence, he is struggling to come to terms with it. We are dealing with an experienced and traumatized operative, not a mere teenager. It also means that he won't trust anyone easily." The soldiers were silent as they processed the sergeant's explanation. Sanders allowed the message to sink in before gesturing for them to continue with their report.

"Cub's swimming ability is at a decent level," Eagle said happily. "I think he just needs the daily exercises to build up his endurance further. He'll pass the swimming test easily."

"What's bothering you, Wolf?" Sanders asked, noticing the soldier's frown deepening.

"I'm not sure," Wolf admitted reluctantly. "Cub was wringing out his shirt after swimming and his lower torso was exposed, the only skin he's shown us since he got here. He doesn't even shower at the same time as us. But something is off about the skin there."

"What do you mean?" Snake and Otter asked at the same time, frowning. "Was there a scar or something?"

"Scar…," Wolf muttered, lowering his head in thought. "No, there wasn't…" Then, his eyes widened in realization and his head snapped up. "But there _should_ have been! When I was stationed in Baghdad several months ago, before our unit was put back together again, I got an update on Cub's status as he was still listed in our files as a part of our unit. Cub was supposed to be in the hospital at the time with appendicitis but there's no scar where the surgery would have been performed!"

The soldiers exchanged alarmed looks. Those updates were supposed to be reliable, coming straight from the top ranks, and meant to inform soldiers about important statuses that could affect a current or future mission. "Oh shit," the sergeant whispered in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, closing his eyes briefly. "I hate spies. This means MI6 lied about Cub's status. And when intelligence agencies lie about something, it means their covering up something worse," Sanders growled, almost to himself. Looking hard at his soldiers, the sergeant barked out, "Listen up, soldiers! Cub might not have had appendicitis but this means he must have been severely injured on a mission. MI6 aren't known for taking care of their agents. I want you to keep a close eye on him from now on and earn his trust! He may be in deeper trouble than we thought and if we don't have his trust, we can't help him. Do you understand?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good," the sergeant nodded. "Anything else to report?"

"Cub is keeping up better on the marches than most recruits do," Horse said. "And the usual recruits don't have the added responsibility of keeping up with new lecture material at the same time."

"His brain is like a sponge," Tiger commented thoughtfully. "But even a sponge has limits. I'm just afraid that Cub will reach his soon with the pace that we're going at. I don't even know if we could have kept up our training alongside regular schooling."

After they finished giving the report, the sergeant and the soldiers discussed all of their findings, trying to connect the dots to get a better idea of who Cub was. For all their efforts, they were still only sure of a few things, the only bits of information that Cub himself had confirmed so far. Cub was involved with MI6. He was here for training. And he was more capable than any of them had ever thought. If not by skill, then by sheer determination. Eventually, they gave up and left to go sleep for the night. As they went back to their huts, the sergeant ran a hand through his hair. There was something seriously wrong with Cub's situation. Sanders felt like the teen's clearance level while having no rank assigned was a clue. But to what? He was afraid of what he would find if they kept digging. But he couldn't ignore it. Whether he liked it or not, Cub was one of his men now. And he couldn't leave any of his men to fend for themselves, not if they might be in too much trouble to dig themselves out of it.

The rest of the week passed by the same way. Alex would get up earlier than everyone else to do meditations, have breakfast, and attend the lessons in his schedule. The only difference was that B-Unit was much more professional towards him. He couldn't tell if this was because they grudgingly respected him after their fight or because the other units insisted on supervising B-Unit's interactions with him. Either way, he was relieved that there hadn't been any more altercations at the camp. It might even be Snake that had made a difference. From the way B-Unit became more skittish around his unit medic, Alex guessed that Snake must have had a "talk" with them. By the end of the week with this routine, his nightmares had mostly gone away. His time on the assault course had been cut to 13:54 individually with a time of 16:37 as a unit. On the shooting range, he had a 96% accuracy rate for his normal shooting with handguns and 90% for shooting rifles and machine guns. His hand-to-hand combat had improved significantly as well. The units had taught him a lot of moves that the SAS used as well as specific instruction in various martial arts from those who had the training. Coupled with the rest of his lessons, the soldiers had taught him more control. Now, he was better able to understand the damage that each move does and how to limit or counteract it. He still had a long way to go though. That was in contrast to his swimming, which he could do with ease, even with the increasingly longer distances required. As for the marches, the last one he did before the weekend was eighteen miles with a fifty-pound bergen. He made it in just under nine hours. Over the week, he had done more fan dance and point to point marches, each one with increasingly heavy weights and longer distances. During these marches for the whole week, Miss Treat lectured him on History, Geography, Politics, Biology, and Japanese. Politics wasn't one of his school subjects so he assumed that it was one of the extra lessons that Jones wanted him to learn. Sometimes, Treat read the texts for his English class out loud to him so they could discuss it after the march. Other times, the soldiers tied in lectures on demolitions, first aid, map reading and navigation, communications protocols, SAS hand signals, and parachute protocols to go along with Miss Treat's lessons. After the marches, he and Miss Treat would work on English, Japanese, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, and Drama. The time available to work on school subjects in the mess hall became increasingly shorter though as the marches got longer. To catch up, he would go to bed later and later each night, waking up more exhausted in the morning than the previous day.

Alex could barely keep his eyes open on Saturday morning but the weekend didn't give him a break either. He still had to do the assault course, hand-to-hand combat, and swimming. These exercises woke him up quickly, even if he was still utterly exhausted. At this point, Alex was fairly sure that he was running on adrenaline and pure determination. After swimming in the lake though, each unit still took him for a lesson on their specialization instead of the usual shooting lessons or march exercises.

K-Unit gave him lectures on the air troop, making Alex practice parachute insertions. He went through exercises on high altitude low opening (HALO), high altitude high opening (HAHO), and static line. Just before Alex's first jump, Eagle had a good time joking about having him kick Wolf out of a plane again. The unit leader wasn't amused and Alex jumped before the man could yell at him for Eagle's joke too. It was only after these exercises that Alex realized he had only ever been instructed on HAHO the last time he was here. Even then, it had only been the theory. Alex hadn't been allowed to participate in the actual exercise.

J-Unit took him out for lessons on the mobility troop next. They were surprised that Alex already knew the basics of fixing a vehicle and how to drive and hotwire a car. Ian had taught him as soon as his feet could reach the gas pedal. His uncle's lessons had helped the soldiers save some time with the basics. Instead, they jumped right into the exercises, showing him how to drive each of the different military vehicles and how to use the weapons that were fixed to them. They gave him more advanced mechanical lessons as well. Because he was unlikely to be in an active war zone with the military, J-Unit also taught him tactical driving with regular cars, pushing the vehicles to their limits. By the end of the exercises, Alex was able to do basic ambushes and lose a tail with the vehicles. The only thing that he still had some trouble with was close quarter driving. He knew he would have to work on that in his own time after his two months of training were over.

The last ones to give him their lectures were B-Unit, on the boat troop. They taught him how to sail various boats, having Alex complete exercises on shallow diving for covert infiltrations and underwater demolitions. The soldiers also taught him some basics about camouflage, setting and avoiding ambushes, and movements to avoid being seen. By the end of B-Unit's lesson each day, it was already dinner time. There was a quick meal and then they geared up for an exercise in the Killing House, testing his hostage extraction skills in the mock-up of the embassy. There had been no time for his schoolwork on the weekend and he was too exhausted to care that his Test Week started the next day. With such a packed schedule, Alex slept like the dead on Sunday night and didn't even wake up for his meditations.

The next morning, Alex was woken up by Wolf yelling at him to get moving before he missed breakfast. Groaning, he checked the clock and bolted out of bed. It was already 0530 hours and he was going to be late! Within five minutes, he was ready and ran to the mess hall. But when he got there, everyone was standing outside, tense and alert. Even the kitchen staff and Miss Treat were there. Someone yelled an order to get the sergeant. The rest muttered amongst themselves. Curious as to what was happening, Alex slowly approached. K-Unit saw and tried to block his view, telling him to stay away, but Alex ignored them. When he got close enough, he stopped in his tracks and stared. There was a rain-soaked body placed in an awkward sitting position against the flag pole. The legs were splayed out at different angles. A laminated note was stapled to the man's chest. There was foam around the corners of his mouth, either from poisoning or a drug overdose. The person's head was twisted all the way to face the opposite side of where it was supposed to be. A single bullet was in the middle of the forehead. And he recognized the face of the victim, one that he had disfigured. Walking towards Skoda's body to examine the note, Alex could feel everyone else staring at him apprehensively, carefully gauging his reaction to the body in front of them.

"Well, someone snuffed him out," Alex commented, just as the sergeant reached them. The soldiers stared at him like he was insane but Miss Treat raised an eyebrow in amusement. He supposed that most people wouldn't react so calmly to seeing a dead body.

"Do you know the victim, Cub?" Sergeant Sanders asked.

"Yes, sir. He was a drug dealer."

"Why do you know a drug dealer?" Wolf growled, the whole unit glaring at Alex.

"You can interrogate Cub about his personal life later," the sergeant reprimanded, glancing at the unit leader. "Right now, we need to figure out why there is a dead body in the middle of the camp!"

Walking towards Alex and the body, Miss Treat read the note out loud. " _'Another walks free and seeks revenge. If you want to play with the wolves, learn the rules to the game.'_ This was targeted at you, Cub. Do you know who did this?"

"No," Alex answered firmly, keeping his face blank. He could make a good guess though. The note already hinted at the identity of the killer. And the placement of the body was a message too. It had taken him a few seconds longer to figure it out but Alex was fairly sure that he wouldn't be getting any sleep after the day's march.

Miss Treat eyed him suspiciously but eventually decided to take him for his word and left to call MI6. While they waited for someone from the intelligence agency to get to the camp, the sergeant decided that they were to continue on with their day. Leaving the body where it was so that MI6 could examine the crime scene, they went into the mess hall to have breakfast. As they ate, the soldiers kept asking him questions while the sergeant listened in, bewildered by the fact that a teenager was being targeted. But the only question Alex answered was Wolf's, assuring his unit leader that he despised drugs and had never done them. For all the other questions, he only told the soldiers to wait for MI6 to arrive. This only frustrated them further, making the soldiers grumble and stab at their food.

Just as they finished eating, Mrs. Jones walked into the mess hall. Seeing the high-ranking woman, Miss Treat and the sergeant stood at attention, prompting all of the other confused soldiers to follow suit. Alex remained seated, not sure if Mrs. Jones expected him to show the same formalities. He didn't care either. Not even when Wolf tried to stomp on his foot in warning. The sergeant would have been angry at the teen but he was too baffled by Jones' acceptance of the disrespect shown and that someone so high up took enough of an interest in the boy to fly out as soon as there was a problem.

"At ease," Mrs. Jones said. "For those of you who do not know me, I am the current head of Special Operations. My agents will be collecting the evidence and going around to ask each of you some questions. Once that is done, you can go back to your duties."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Satisfied, Mrs. Jones gestured for her agents to start the questioning and turned her black, beady eyes towards Alex. "Answer me honestly. Do you know who did this?"

"No."

Mrs. Jones examined him for a long moment before nodding, turning on her heel to leave. Although her instincts were telling her not to believe the teen, she let it go for now. She knew that Alex would never knowingly put others in danger. Even if the teen was lying, she trusted that it wasn't something big enough to require the intelligence agency's attention. Not yet, anyways.

Once everyone had given their witness statements, the MI6 agents packed everything up and took the body back to London with them. With MI6 gone, the soldiers gave Alex his instructions for the first march of the week. He was flown out to Elan Valley for a fifteen-mile march, carrying a forty pound bergen, water, food, and a rifle. The terrain was no easier than the Brecon Beacons and he was completely alone for the marches this week. No military truck driving alongside him, no jokes or verbal abuse from the soldiers, and no lectures. Just the sounds of nature all around him. After the previous week, the silence was deafening to him. But Alex appreciated it for the break that his brain was getting. The amount of information he had to process last week during the marches had taken a toll on him and there were times when he got an intense headache. He had felt like his brain would explode from the information overload. So Alex enjoyed the quiet while he could, even if it meant that it was harder to ignore the burn in his muscles and the extra effort it took to get through the elements working against him. Really, the test wasn't much different from the exercises and he made it in good time. Alex finished the march in just under seven hours, the allotted time for the day, and the soldiers breathed a collective sigh of relief. He didn't blame them. They were all afraid to be put on probation if Alex didn't pass the tests.

Since it was mid-afternoon by the time he finished the march and there was nothing else scheduled for the day, Miss Treat pulled him aside to work on his school subjects again, testing him on last week's material before introducing new topics. Despite the amount of information being thrown at him every day, Alex actually enjoyed his lessons with the woman. She treated him more like an equal than a student and he was able to talk to her more freely because of it. Like usual, they kept up the studies until dinner time. After dinner though, the time was his to do as he wanted. It was the first break that Alex had since arriving at the camp. He spent it talking to the kitchen staff and wandering through the training grounds but otherwise, kept up the same routine. Alex still showered when everyone else wasn't in the common bathroom and went to bed at his usual time. He didn't sleep though. Instead, Alex waited until K-Unit had fallen asleep before silently getting out of bed, leaving the hut. He made sure that nothing he did would wake Wolf or Snake, the two lightest sleepers of the unit besides himself.

Cautiously entering the forest, Alex wandered in the general direction that Skoda's body had indicated. With the way that the man's head and legs had been positioned, he was fairly sure he was in the right place even though he was late. If he was right, then Skoda's head had been twisted so that his empty eyes were looking towards the forest where Alex usually did his meditations. This was the intended meeting place. The drug dealer's legs were the hands on a clock, positioned at 2330 hours. It was now midnight. Alex grimaced. If his reason wasn't because he was trying to keep suspicion off of himself, he would fully expect some sort of punishment for being late. Even now, there still might be consequences. As he walked among the trees, there was no sign of human presence anywhere. All he could hear were the sounds of the forest at night. Crickets chirping, the screech of an owl, the soft rustle of wings flapping. Even a wolf howling somewhere. An audible click as the safety catch of a gun was flicked off. Alex froze. In the next second, he dived to the ground as a bullet flew past him. There had been no sound of a gunshot. The shooter must be using a silencer. Scrambling behind a tree for cover, Alex listened for anything that might give away the position of his attacker. He should have known he would never stand a chance. A graceful figure suddenly emerged right in front of him and Alex threw his hands up to block the anticipated strike. But it never came.

"You're late, little Alex," the man stated. "And that was unacceptable. You should never let down your guard. I could have killed you at any time in the last ten minutes."

"Yassen," Alex greeted tiredly, slightly alarmed that he had been followed for so long without realizing it but too exhausted to truly care at the moment. "What are you doing here?"

"Training you," Yassen simply said.

"A simple note would have told me to come here. Or do assassins always leave dead bodies behind as a message?"

"We leave bodies behind to make a statement," Yassen corrected.

Alex considered the assassin's words. A statement. There was more to this than a command then. "Directed to who?"

"You. MI6. All the other intelligence agencies."

He stared at Yassen. It was a lot of people to target with one body. Was it a single statement or multiple? Alex worked through the puzzle in his mind. A message to himself might be a lesson. To MI6, it could be a warning or threat. The same could be said for the other intelligence agencies. Eventually, he slowly guessed, "The message to me is that I shouldn't entrust my security to the intelligence agencies. To MI6, you are telling them that someone is watching their every move. To the intelligence agencies in general, you're saying that you can infiltrate any place unseen and they could be next."

"Partially correct," Yassen confirmed impassively. "Your drug dealer was in MI6's custody and still escaped, becoming a threat to you."

"You think that MI6 has an agenda that involves me."

"Assume everyone has an agenda."

"Even you?" Yassen gave him a curt nod. He considered it for a moment. Alex doubted that the assassin's plans for him included death so he dismissed the matter from his mind for now. Instead, he revealed, "MI6 never gives me files but I got some from Jones. Either I'm paranoid or she's up to something."

"Have your instincts been wrong before?"

"… Not really."

"Always trust your instincts. They won't lead you astray. Your father had some of the best instincts in the world and relied on them to stay alive. Your instincts are just as good."

"He still died because of my godfather's betrayal," Alex said bitterly.

"Hunter's mistake was forming attachments. It clouded his judgement of Ash."

Alex stayed silent. Was he supposed to go through the rest of his life without a single meaningful relationship now? He knew better than to ask the assassin. The man's answer to the question was obvious. Instead, he asked, "Can you tell me more about my father?"

"Perhaps one day, I will. But not right now," Yassen replied quietly. The assassin understood the teen's need to know more about his parents but it could be destructive at the same time. The boy's willingness to follow his instructions into the heart of SCORPIA had proven that. "Your parents do not define you, little Alex. I can see Hunter in you but you are so much more. Carve out your own path, your own identity." The teen was silent for a long while but eventually nodded. Satisfied, Yassen reached into the inside of his jacket and handed Alex a stack of files. "Read and memorize them."

Alex took the files and complied with the command. Settling down on the wet ground and resting the files on his legs, he opened the first document. As soon as he saw the first page, his head snapped up to stare at Yassen in alarm, asking sharply, "SCORPIA files?"

"Yes."

"What are you planning?" Alex questioned warily. The assassin only gestured for him to read the files. Resigned, he turned back to the first page and began reading. The files contained a full profile of every important figure within the organization, dead or alive, along with Yassen's own notes and observations of each person. These figures included board members, staff at Malagosto, and top operatives of the organization. The original board had thirteen members. About half of them were dead now. Some were internal jobs. Two were because of Alex. With the reduced numbers, SCORPIA had sought out some new blood and four people were added to the board after his mission with the Australians. Razim had been one of them, dead after Alex's mission in Egypt. One more new board member had been killed sometime between now and Yassen's appearance at his house a couple of weeks ago. That couldn't be a coincidence. As Alex read on, the files revealed summaries of past and current operations, including who was involved in each one. At the moment, it seemed like SCORPIA didn't have any major jobs coming to them. The organization had been overlooked in favour of others after the few operations that Alex had destroyed. So instead of these large jobs, SCORPIA had been focusing on smaller ones, like vices, to build up their reputation again. It took a while for Alex to get through the details of these operations. Once Alex had finished reading the files, he looked up at the assassin again. "The last board member that died... That was you, wasn't it?"

"It was," the man confirmed, a hint of approval in his eyes.

"Why?"

"After Damian Cray, I had wanted to retire. As the current situation stands, that is now impossible."

"Retire?" Alex asked, surprised at the very notion. Even after he thought that the man had died, the assassin had always seemed timeless to him. "You look like you're in your mid-twenties."

"I am in my late-thirties," Yassen corrected amusedly. "Quite old in this line of work."

Alex fell silent. Logically, he knew that what the man told him was the truth. Still, it threw him for a moment. As long as the assassin was alive, Alex had still felt like the man was a constant. Never changing. Always in this line of work. His own choice to continue in the intelligence world made him wonder if he would live long enough to make it to retirement age. Considering his past missions, he would be lucky to reach his twenties. It did no good to dwell on that now though. What he needed to focus on was figuring out why the man was giving him a full profile on SCORPIA. If Yassen wanted to retire but the organization wasn't letting him go, then there were very few options to achieve what he wanted. Blackmail was one. But SCORPIA, even weakened, was too big and powerful for that to succeed. Making a deal could be an option. But that wouldn't explain why the man wanted him to read the files. Killing all of the board members was the most likely option, especially considering the recent assassination. But how does that make the organization let the man live his life peacefully? SCORPIA was all about business. And a business didn't die just because the current people who ran it did. Finally, Alex asked suspiciously, "You're planning to assassinate the whole board, aren't you?"

"Yes," the man nodded once in approval.

"But that's not all. You're not telling me everything."

"It is too soon."

"Why give me the files then?"

"It is good to know what you are dealing with. You are already on their radar. They will not leave you alone for long, especially when you are back in the field. Always know your enemy," Yassen advised. Having gotten his point across, the assassin pulled a folded piece of paper from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Alex in exchange for the files back. "This villa is just outside Saint-Tropez. It belongs to Giovanni and Eduardo Grimaldi, the twins and only remaining new members of the executive board. Find a way in."

"Can't you do it?" Alex asked, frowning. He didn't want any part in assassinating the board.

"By only observing the perimeters, how long did it take you to find a way into Cray's compound? Into Consanto Enterprises?"

Alex shrugged. "A day. Maybe less."

"Both of those places had some of the highest security that a civilian could have, similar to the Grimaldi twins' villa. I may be good at what I do but I have never seen anyone, with such limited information, figure out a way to infiltrate a target as quickly as you. Even Hunter would have taken longer. With the blueprints, you can find a way in much faster," Yassen stated matter-of-factly. "The Grimaldi twins are scheduled to arrive at the villa tomorrow morning to oversee SCORPIA's most recent venture into underage gambling in France. The job needs to look personal to direct suspicion towards other organizations."

Grimacing, Alex nodded in understanding and got to work. The assassin could snipe the twins right outside their villa from afar but it would not look personal. To achieve the effect Yassen wanted, the kills needed to happen inside the twins' domain. As much as Alex despised playing a part in someone's death, he knew the man would find some way to force him into it anyways if he refused. So over the next two hours, Alex pored over the villa's blueprints and the known security surrounding the place. Infrared beams at night but only guards patrolling through the day. CCTV cameras everywhere, mostly monitoring anyone coming onto the property and not those already in the villa. Surrounded by pine trees, cedars, and a high stone wall for privacy. An electronic gate that opened onto a long driveway with a guardhouse monitoring everything. Gardens and a lawn that spread over the hillside surrounded the pink and white house with several terraces. Outside, there was a dining table underneath a stone balcony. A bar, tennis court, and king-size swimming pool were dotted throughout the grounds. Even a helipad. Upstairs, it was all bedrooms. The twins shared one room. Their file said that they had never spent a single minute apart in their whole lives. They might be able to use that against them. The only sign of security inside the villa were the uniformed servants and guards. Getting in would be a problem. After that, the challenge would be remaining undetected by the numerous staff. Alex couldn't see any way to get in without being found. Every angle was covered on the ground. There was nothing to suggest there was an underground way in either. That left going in by air. Not sure what the assassin would think of his idea, Alex cautiously asked, "How do you feel about hang gliding during the night onto the roof of the house?"

Yassen raised an eyebrow. "Unconventional but it can be done."

Taking a deep breath, Alex continued. "You want it to look personal. What about climbing down from the roof to hide underneath the twins' bed?"

The man narrowed his eyes at him. "Done that before, have you?" Alex didn't answer but he knew the assassin understood anyways. He would have to do something later about the suicidal methods the boy tended to use, the assassin thought to himself. After studying him for a few more moments, Yassen abruptly asked him, "Have you been doing your meditations and combat breathing?"

"Yes."

"And your nightmares?"

"They got better and less frequent until I came to the camp. After that, the progress started all over again."

Yassen nodded and stated, "That could be from the change in environment. Unfamiliar places or those associated with unpleasant memories can increase mental agitation. The level of exhaustion also plays a role in how bad your nightmares are." Alex nodded, understanding that the man was telling him this as a lesson. Missions were almost always in unfamiliar places and being aware of how it affected his mental state would help with his survival. Satisfied that Alex had worked out the implications, Yassen instructed, "Come back tomorrow night."

Alex recognized the dismissal and handed the blueprints back to the man. Yassen watched emotionlessly as the boy left, thinking about how much potential Hunter's child had with the right training. Even without being taught properly, Alex was remarkable. The unconventional and suicidal tactics employed on his missions showed that the teen had different thought patterns than most people. Patterns that made him especially useful in this line of work. That was why the intelligence agencies all sought his service. The longer Alex spent in the intelligence world, the likelier it was that criminal organizations would seek his services too. Bluntly refusing those requests, like the boy was in the habit of doing when something didn't agree with him, would only result in many more attempts on Alex's life. If he was going to invest his time in keeping the teen alive, then he needed to teach the boy some self-preservation tactics. This was partially why he chose to display the drug dealer's body in the middle of the camp. Yassen would never tell but Alex had only guessed a part of his reasons for the choice of message delivery. He trusted the teen to figure out the rest himself. If not, there were other ways make him learn. The boy's assumptions of the message to the intelligence agencies had been completely correct. With regards to Alex himself, the boy's assumptions had fallen short. His first reason was to protect the boy from the drug dealer's assassination attempts, however pathetic they may be. The second was to teach Alex to always be on his guard and never assume that others can help protect him. This was the only one the boy had guessed. The third was a warning that every action the teen took had the potential to make himself more enemies. And lastly, it had been a test. Yassen needed to be sure that the teen would follow his instructions and not betray him. In a camp full of soldiers, it would have been easy to let slip the fact that he had been behind the drug dealer's murder. But the video footage from the camera he had installed in a tree had shown that Alex had never even hinted at any knowledge of the killer's identity. The boy had passed the test. That was why he had chosen to reveal some of his plans to the teen tonight. As Alex disappeared from view, Yassen turned to leave. The flight to Saint-Tropez would take two hours, leaving just enough time to put Alex's plan in action. If all went well, then two more SCORPIA board members would be dead before the next nightfall.

The rest of the week soon passed quickly, the days blurring together in Alex's mind. Every morning, he would wake up to Wolf yelling at the unit to get moving, have breakfast, and start on the day's march. He did one more in Elan Valley and three in the Brecon Beacons. By the fifth march during test week, he was carrying a fifty-nine pound bergen over eighteen miles in addition to water, food, and a rifle. Even with the weather steadily getting worse over the week, leaving him to battle the elements more than ever, Alex had still managed to finish this fifth march in the allotted nine hours. The soldiers continued to let out a sigh of relief after every march he passed.

After that fifth march, he did his swimming test which was broken up into four sections. The first was a high-water entry dive from a ten meter height. He passed that easily, having practiced it during training. The second was a water entry from a three-meter height and swimming twenty-five meters while wearing webbing and carrying a rifle. This was slightly more difficult, as he was unaccustomed to carrying a weapon while swimming, but he had no problem passing this assessment. For the third section, the soldiers had him kitted out in full combat gear and then sent him to tread water for five minutes, which was immediately followed by a two hundred metre swim. The added weight of the combat gear made this test much more difficult but he still passed it, gasping for breath. The final section was a ten-meter underwater swim with a retrieval of a small weight. This one, he passed with ease as well. After swimming to the surface of a freezing lake in the middle of winter with Edward Pleasure's unconscious body, this final assessment was child's play to him.

Other than this swimming test, his time after the marches were filled with more school studies. Miss Treat kept up a brutal pace with her lessons, making him completely exhausted by the end of the day. Because he was so tired that he no longer woke up before everyone else, he couldn't do his meditations and combat breathing exercises in the morning anymore. Instead, he chose to do it in the night, right before his meetings with Yassen. He never asked about the Grimaldi twins and the man never told him. As curious as Alex was, he decided it was probably for the best. Someone would inevitably let something slip. If he didn't know the full details beforehand, then he could act with genuine surprise when he finally heard the news and no one would suspect him of knowing anything about the matter. So during the whole week, the assassin just trained him, for an hour or two every night, in the art of invisibility and recognizing anyone who did so. He remembered some of those tricks from Yermalov's practical lessons at Malagosto but there were many more that were new to him. Alex picked up the skills quickly and could even detect Yassen's presence by the end of the week.

Because of these extra lessons, he only got an average of three hours of sleep each night. By the sixth march on Saturday, he was quite irritated and the soldiers steered clear of him. They quickly gave Alex his instructions for the sketch map march and handed him a hand-drawn map, instead of the usual printed one. It was to test map reading and navigation skills more thoroughly. As it was one of the two killer marches that even excellent candidates could fail, the soldiers breathed a collective sigh of relief and finished their own training for the day in a much better mood when they saw that he had completed the twenty-two mile march within the eleven hour time frame. They still avoided Alex though, knowing that he was still in a bad mood from all the exhaustion and tests. The men were very aware that they had been in a constant, foul mood during their own selection process, which had been easier than the teen's. When the next day arrived, Alex went through the same morning routine before he was sent on his final march for the hills phase. The endurance march, as Wolf had told him at the beginning, was forty miles with a seventy-pound bergen. Alex spent the whole day hiking through the Brecon Beacons to his destination without any food, popping glucose and caffeine tablets from time to time so that he could keep going. There were soldiers at a couple of checkpoints, acting as the DS, so that he could point out his next destination on the map to them. By the time he reached the last RV point, it was 0200 hours, the same time he normally finished his lessons with Yassen. The sergeant and all three units were there, waiting for him. Alex hurt everywhere. Even after a day of SAS training, it was impossible to not have a nasty bruise somewhere. Now though, his body and face were littered with cuts and bruises. His muscles were burning from exhaustion. And the old bullet wound on his chest, as well as the more recent on one his arm, ached ferociously.

"Sirs!" Alex gasped out, standing at attention.

"At ease," the sergeant said. "Congratulations, Cub. You passed the first phase of selection. Now, go get some rest. You're flying to Brunei tomorrow for the jungle phase."

 **A/N: TEC = Tail End Charlie (the last person in the patrol so responsible for covering their backs)**

 **DS = Directing Staff**

 **After Alex's SCORPIA training, the books have largely ignored the skills that he learned on Malagosto. Personally, I don't think that's very realistic as a life or death situation would probably make someone instinctively use the most harmful methods they know to get out alive unless they were extremely skilled and have developed a high level of control. Since Alex is not skilled or controlled to that point yet, his SCORPIA training will be playing a bigger role in this story than they do in the books.**

 **Thanks for reading! I'm not sure if this chapter was too long or not... Maybe I should have split it into two chapters. Let me know what you think so far! Please follow, favorite, and/or leave a review on the story!**


	13. Jungle Phase

**A/N: As a reminder, foreign languages will be written in that language, using Google Translate with the exception of a few languages, and the translation will be in brackets right after it.**

 **On another note, what are your thoughts on Otto Farrant being cast as the new Alex Rider for Sony's TV series? I'm excited to see how it turns out! Hopefully, it will be much better than the movie even though their using the movie's ending as the starting point for the show.**

 **Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed since the last chapter!**

 **aniseed flower: Thank you for the reviews on each chapter! I agree that the Pleasures were too normal and never going to last with Alex. They're strong, but not strong enough to deal with Alex's life in the long term. That's exactly why I wrote them out of Alex's day-to-day life! Even without an espionage career, Alex could easily drive them insane with all the trouble that just seems to find him! Like you said, he would do something every time a criminal walked past him. But I'm betting that Alex would encounter way more than the 36 killers that an average person would in their life. He is definitely not average. He is a magnet for the insane and dangerous. Also, I have read the one-shots that So1said has written and her stories are quite enjoyable. I'm not sure if those are the ones that you're referring to though… And, at first, I didn't really know what you meant when you said you didn't like dark Alex fics because I love dark Alex. But then, I realized that you were referring to a different kind of dark than I was thinking. xD I agree that depressed Alex isn't quite realistic. I do love it when fics have an absolutely ruthless and dangerous, but still retains his morals kind of dark Alex that is confident, intense, resourceful, capable, smart, and sassy though. Lol I really love Alex's character. I find that I have difficulty coming up with his sassy and dry humor side though so I'm glad you like the pun at the end of Chapter 7: Operation Darwin! Also, your insight about the threshold stuff is really interesting, coming from your personal experience. I have never really exercised much so the thresholds I found (from a few different websites that all said roughly the same thing) seemed good enough to me. But after reading your review and thinking about it mathematically, your thresholds make a lot more sense to me. Same with the units of measurement! The copy of the books I found must have been US copies because those used imperial measurement units which is what I followed. That being said, I'm going to stick with my thresholds and measurements units for this story just for continuity purposes. If I ever write another story though, I will definitely change it. And lol your comments about Yassen! Unhealthy relationship? Yes. Does Alex need it? I think so. There are so many layers to that relationship and it's so fun to write it! Your comparison of Yassen to Animaniacs also made me laugh so hard even though I don't think Yassen ever thinks about taking over the world. It's such a funny image to have Yassen talk like the Animaniacs. But I think for him, it's more about survival than world domination. And about Alex treating the kitchen staff well, I think that it fits with his personality. I feel like Ian would have brought him up to be a gentleman, polite and well-mannered. It's funny how Alex sometimes goes about that though. Like when he handed Miss Bedfordshire's handbag back to her after completely destroying the thiefs. xD Also, I read a fic where the kitchen staff gave him better food too! I think it was called The Devil Amongst Demons but sadly, it's been five years since it's been updated. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing! Sorry if this reply to your reviews is all over the place. There was just so much to respond to! xD**

 **Oriande Moonshadow: Thanks for the review! Just to clarify, the assassination of the Grimaldi twins is a solo job for Yassen and has already happened by the time Alex has completed the hills phase. Alex was just acting as a consultant for the job. That being said, having Alex join Yassen for an assassination mission is definitely the direction that the story will be going in. The only reason that Yassen didn't have Alex join him for this one is because Alex is just simply not ready yet. Skills-wise, I think Alex would do fine. But Alex isn't mentally ready to assassinate someone at this point. And yes, I agree that knowing something the characters don't is so much fun! Whether it's writing or reading those scenes, the characters' reactions are always interesting. Again, thanks for reading and reviewing!**

 **Galimaufry: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much! Characterization was one of the things I was worried about getting wrong when writing so it's reassuring to know that someone agrees with how I've portrayed them. And Yassen is one of my favorite characters too! Even though portraying him is something that doesn't come easily to me, it's also quite fun to write any scene with him in it, precisely because he is so mysterious! Although, for all the mystery, I agree that Yassen wouldn't be so impressed with Alex's skills. He has very high standards! But to answer your question, yes, I will be using Russian Roulette as Yassen's backstory. I like to stick as close to canon as possible. And I agree that in some aspects, Alex is pretty casual about death. He hates killing and torturing but he's fairly comfortable around dead bodies and all the gore that comes with it. The number of times he's made a joke about death too! It's a bit of an ironic thing that I don't completely understand about his character but I guess that's just one of the things that makes him so unique. Lol With his family history, the way he was raised, and his own personality/natural inclinations, I don't think he ever stood a chance at a normal life!**

 **Cub16/Fangirl Forever 2019: Thanks for the reviews! I'm happy that you like the story enough to comment when I'm taking so long to update! It shows me that there are people who look forward to reading this story which helps me stay motivated even when I'm having trouble writing.**

 **I had writer's block when I was writing this chapter so it took a while to update but I promise that I'm working on the story as fast as I can. Thanks for waiting so patiently and I hope you all enjoy it! :)**

Bright and early the next morning, Alex, Treat, and the soldiers were given jungle boots and fatigues, both lighter and faster drying than the standard ones, before being hustled onto a small passenger plane after a hurried breakfast. Each of them were equipped with a seventy-pound bergen filled with five weeks' worth of jungle survival supplies. The only one who wasn't allowed to go with them was Zebra. With the medic's leg still in a cast, the doctor at the infirmary had refused to clear him for any military exercises.

During the fourteen hour flight, Alex caught up on some more sleep and read the textbooks that Treat had given him when they took off. Everyone else just slept or joked around with each other. Sometimes, they talked to their pilot, who was a retired SAS soldier. Apparently, the SAS had agreements with some airlines to employ their retired soldiers to make military transportation easier.

By the time they reached their drop off point, the sky was pitch black as it was around 0330 hours, Brunei time. Everyone got into position and jumped out at their turn, pulling the parachute's rip cord on their cold descent. They landed in a clearing of the Borneo rainforest, surrounded by tall trees with a river nearby, and Wolf did a head count once they had all gathered around.

"Alright, Cub," Wolf said gruffly once everyone had been accounted for. "The jungle phase is usually six weeks, including the test week. _You_ have five weeks to finish it. We will be with you for four of these weeks, two of which are a part of our own refresher course. During these four weeks, we will be training you in drills, patrols, combat, and survival skills. The fifth week is your test."

"Throughout this phase, you will be expected to keep up good hygiene practices," Tiger took over. "Illnesses and other medical conditions develop much more easily and much faster in this environment than they would back at the Brecon Beacons. A part of this is because too much exercise, like we'll be doing here, can lower your immune system's function and it's common for recruits to lose about ten to fourteen pounds in this phase of training."

"We're lucky that it's not raining right now. It's impossible to stay dry in the jungle but it's important to dry off your skin and let it stay dry whenever you've stopped to make camp. Otherwise, there will be rashes and fungus forming on your skin," Otter added.

"You will also be expected to keep up with your schoolwork and keep your kit in good condition," Lion added tersely.

The soldiers glanced at each other to check if they had missed anything. Not thinking of anything else, Wolf asked, "Any questions?"

"No, sir," Alex responded. They weren't telling him anything that he didn't already expect. Although it was cooler in the night, he could already feel the heavy air that would only get worse during the day and make them feel lethargic. That wasn't even counting the fact that they would have to fight through nature every step of the way to survive. Like the hills phase, it would be a test of mental strength and perseverance. He'd do just fine as long as there weren't any illegal organ harvesting hospitals around, he thought darkly, remembering the one in an Australian rainforest on his mission for ASIS.

"Good," his unit leader nodded in approval. Then, he instructed for Alex's benefit, "Get the wristband tracker from your rucksacks and put it on. If there is an emergency, rip off the cover on the side and press the button. A helicopter will come to retrieve you."

Alex and the soldiers quickly followed Wolf's instructions. When the trackers were secured around their wrists, Tiger gave him a calculative look and asked, "What do you think we should do first, Cub?"

Recognizing it as a test, Alex examined their surroundings and answered, "We're in unfamiliar territory so I'd say we explore. But it's still dark out and we're not in a rush so we should set up camp first. We can use these three hours until sunrise to get some more sleep."

"Not bad," Hawk reluctantly approved and fired the next question at him. "But where should we set up camp?"

"Over there," Alex immediately pointed to the top of a slope on the edge of the clearing, a wall of sturdy trees standing tall. "It's close enough to a viable water source but not so close that we run the risk of having animals congregate around us. The height and the surrounding trees makes the spot as defensible of a position as we can get in this environment."

The soldiers were silent, nodding slowly as they ran through possible scenarios in their minds. Eventually, Snake said appraisingly, "Good job, Cub. Looks like we can save some time and skip the lessons on choosing a good camp location. I don't think any of us here can think of a better place to set up camp."

Everyone nodded their agreement and they began splitting up tasks. J-Unit erected the six small tents for all of them, B-Unit gathered a supply of wood for a fire, and K-Unit worked on rationing their food and setting up a watch schedule. After Alex finished radioing in so that base camp was aware of their position and plans for the night, he helped J-Unit with the tents. Then, he put a tarp over their shelter to protect them from the inevitable rain and a mosquito net around them to reduce the chances of getting malaria from pesky bites. They completed everything within ten minutes and, other than B-Unit being on watch duty first, the soldiers were soon fast asleep in their tents. With the exception of Treat having a tent to herself, there were two people in each shelter. Alex had been assigned to share a tent with Wolf. Although he didn't mind the soldier, Alex wished he had been assigned to a heavier sleeper. If Yassen's theory held true, then the new jungle environment would make his nightmares start up again. And the last thing he wanted was to make the soldiers scrutinize him further. So instead of sleeping, Alex used the next hour and half to do his meditations and combat breathing exercises, hoping it would help keep him somewhat rested for the day and reduce the nightmares for tomorrow night.

The sound of their tent flap opening signaled the end of his session and he opened his eyes to see Squirrel peering in, about to wake them for K-Unit's guard duty shift. Giving each other curt nods, Squirrel backed out while Alex carefully shook Wolf's shoulder. Like a lot of soldiers, the man could sometimes react badly to being startled awake. They were out in less than a minute to switch places with B-Unit and joined the rest of K-Unit in taking up watch positions, rifle in hand. Even though the calls of the jungle's inhabitants could be chilling at times, the next hour and a half was, thankfully, uneventful. The most exciting thing that happened was Eagle and a bird startling each other with their quiet humming so they were quite bored by the time they went to wake up the rest of the soldiers as dawn broke at the end of their shift. Once everyone was up, it took them a full hour to eat breakfast and pack up. Normally, it would only take twenty minutes but J-Unit, the ones who were the most alert since they didn't have guard duty last night, were teaching Alex how to erase all evidence that they had ever been there. When they were done, Alex had a good understanding of how to hide his tracks, giving him some insight into how to track others as well.

"Alright," Tiger called out to gather everyone around. "Cub, here's the plan. As we march through this hell for the next four weeks, we will be teaching you jungle survival and more combat. We will also be running through Special Forces tactics, techniques, and procedures. There will be a few night exercises each week to help with your training in this."

"Other than that, it has been agreed that you will have five hours with me each day to focus on your schoolwork," Treat added quietly.

"The schedule will be different each day," Wolf grunted. "Today, we're starting with the tactics, techniques, and procedures of a Long Range Recon Patrol. Otherwise known as TTPs of a LRRP."

"You're navigating," Lion growled out, tossing a map and compass that Alex caught easily, making the soldier scowl.

After Tiger told him the checkpoint that they were making for, the group grabbed their rifles and trekked through the diverse terrain for the rest of the morning, following Alex's directions. As they went, the soldiers were soon drenched from a mixture of rainwater, sweat, and the murky water of the swamps they crossed as they pointed out survival tips, taught him how to use the sun to tell time or direction, and had him practice different tactical formations, emphasizing that the column formation was best if they wanted to slow down any trackers. The canopy of leaves above them sometimes provided cover from the downpour that had started a few minutes into their journey but, more often than not, the rain that collected on those leaves would get so heavy that at least one of them would be treated to a cold shower as they passed underneath. Even though this was a brief respite from the constantly rising heat of the rainforest, it only increased the humidity around them and made everyone more miserable as they kept marching. More than once, the soldiers snapped at each other and Alex resignedly redirected their attention to keep them on track.

By the time they reached their checkpoint five hours later at around lunch time, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they were able to split up to complete various tasks. While the rest of the soldiers hung the tarp between a couple of high branches to give them some cover or prepared the disposable metal stoves for their army rations, Alex went with Eagle to gather firewood. A few minutes into their search, they came across a mangrove swamp and worked on collecting some of the branches.

"Look, Cubby!" Eagle exclaimed. "Let's see how far I can throw this!"

Alex turned around to see the soldier pick up a rock and hurl it across the swamp. "Eagle," he sighed exasperatedly. "I don't think now is the time to be stone skipping."

"But I'm bored!" Eagle pouted while throwing some more rocks. "Maybe everyone would be happier if we took a break!"

"Probably," Alex agreed. "But we need to - "

He froze for a second as he heard a snapping sound. Quickly, he stopped the soldier from throwing the next stone and pulled the man away from the swamp, whispering urgently, "Crocodile!"

Just as Eagle was about to protest, a sixteen-foot long crocodile, with a smooth and slender snout, surfaced on the far side of the swamp to glare at them. They froze, staring back at the reptile, and then slowly backed away with the firewood that they had gathered. Once the crocodile was out of sight, they let out the breath that they had been unconsciously holding and walked in silence for a couple of minutes.

"Cubby... how did you know?" Eagle eventually asked, curiously glancing sideways at Alex.

"… I don't know," Alex answered blankly.

A hand grabbed his arm, gently turning Alex around to face the soldier. There was an unusual seriousness to Eagle's tone as the man said with an earnest look, "Cub, I – _we_ – know you're hiding something. Several things. Whatever it is, you can trust us. We want to help. Just, please... tell me something. Like how you knew a false gharial was in the swamp just now."

"False gharial?" Alex asked curiously.

"The crocodile," the soldier replied. "Their species is called a false gharial. Commonly found in these parts of the world. You can recognize them by the long and narrow snout, reddish-brown back with dark spots, and crossbands on the tail. Did we not brief you on this before?" Alex shook his head and the weapons expert grimaced guiltily. "Oops... I guess we were busy teaching you so many other things that we forgot. But we're getting off track! How did you know it was around?"

"I heard its jaw snapping," Alex said shortly.

"That doesn't tell me anything," Eagle frowned. "I heard the sound too... But I didn't immediately recognize it as a crocodile."

Alex shrugged at this, not keen on talking about his mission that had him end up in Kenya. Although he wasn't sure how long he had held on, Alex could still remember how his muscles had screamed that day. How close he'd been to giving up. To letting go and dropping into the crocodile-infested river.

"Alright," Eagle mused thoughtfully. "I know you don't trust us, especially after the first time you came to train. How about I start first?" The soldier took a deep breath and continued. "I had a twin brother but he died in a shooting ten years ago. Some terrorists had decided to shoot up the mall, where my brother was at the time. After that, I became depressed and even thought about committing suicide. But one day, I realized that my brother wouldn't have wanted me to kill myself or go through each day like a robot. He would have wanted me to live my life to the fullest and find happiness everywhere, even the small things."

"I'm sorry about your brother," Alex said quietly. The soldier nodded, giving him a sad smile. After a few moments of silence, he asked, "It's why you became a soldier, isn't it?"

Eagle nodded solemnly. Then, the man suddenly grinned and said, "Your turn!"

Alex studied the sharpshooter, trying to decide how much to say. The man had just told a personal story in an effort to get him to talk. And that was a big show of trust in this line of work. Telling Eagle nothing would be throwing it back in the soldier's face. So, he couldn't stay silent. At the same time, Alex knew he couldn't reveal everything either. Finally, he settled on something that would satisfy the soldier without breaking the Official Secrets Act. His SCORPIA training of never personalizing the victim came in useful here. Not exactly how Yermalov and Ross intended him to use the training, he thought, but it still served a purpose. "It was after a mission. One of the targets caught me on my way to school and I ended up being forced at gunpoint to hang over a river filled with crocodiles while they questioned me about how much MI6 knew. They left me there when they were done, expecting my grip to fail eventually so that I would fall and be eaten alive."

"Cubby…" Eagle whispered softly. "That's a form of torture… I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Alex shrugged and said, "Just don't tell anyone else. Not even the sergeant or K-Unit."

"I won't."

Alex nodded and they headed back to camp in silence. He could feel the soldier sneaking glances at him but ignored it. There was no use in telling the man to stop. Besides, Eagle would get bored of it eventually. So instead of getting irritated at the man, Alex scanned their surroundings for danger until they reached the camp. Once they did, the unit leaders stalked up to them.

"You were supposed to be back five minutes ago. What took you so long?" Wolf snarled, glaring at the two of them.

"Uh... we... I..." Eagle stammered, cowering in the face of three angry unit leaders.

Alex sighed, then answered, "False gharial. That you never briefed me about. But we brought the firewood."

The soldiers looked at each other with wide eyes. "Oh shit," Tiger said, closing his eyes for a second. "Everyone is supposed to get a full briefing of the foreign environment they're entering into before a mission or training exercise. The rest of us already had the briefing when we trained during selection."

"Not being briefed could be deadly, depending on what you encounter. You've been on missions before. Even though we forgot, why didn't you ask for details? Did you not think it was odd that you weren't getting any information?" Snake frowned.

Alex smiled wryly. "The only information I was given for missions was my objective. Maybe the target person's background."

Silence. Even Treat and Lion were frowning now. Then, "WHAT?!" Wolf exploded. "ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU BASICALLY WENT IN BLIND?!"

"Yes." He didn't know why he was suddenly being so open with the soldiers about his missions. Maybe it was because his talk with Eagle had made a crack in his walls. All he knew was that it felt like a small weight had been lifted.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO THOSE MI6 BASTARDS THINK THEY'RE DOING?!" Wolf bellowed. "SENDING IN - "

"WOLF!" Alex interrupted. "You may not have briefed me about this jungle but I'm fairly certain that making that much noise is going to attract the wrong kind of attention. So save it for when we're back at Brecon Beacons and let's eat lunch already."

While Wolf kept muttering angrily, the rest of the soldiers looked down abashedly, internally berating themselves for not thinking of the dangers sooner, but waved Alex over to teach him how to make a smokeless fire. Once their army rations had been warmed up enough, they each took their food and ate quickly, knowing they still had another five hours of hiking to go. When they finished eating, everyone packed up and Alex found himself leading them through the muggy rainforest once again, listening to the soldiers' quiet lectures on heat injuries, the Bornean animal and plant species, and Treat's talk on local politics in the area. Alex realized that the political talk was especially important as the Borneo island is shared among Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia. As he learned about their current environment, Alex and the soldiers tried to minimize the disturbance of their passage as much as possible to prevent attacks from the jungle inhabitants. The ones they were most worried about were insects, snakes, and big animals like the false gharial or Sumatran rhinoceros. Along the way, they had a few scares that caused them to raise their rifles - a flying squirrel jumping out at them from a tree and a sun bear growling at their passage were just the beginning.

During these five hours, the group of veterans had crossed a few more swamps and streams. In between these, the landscape had a little bit of soil on the surface but was either the driest of desert sands, wet sand from heavy precipitation, or lush vegetation that they had to fight their way through. They were exhausted. Lethargic. And the warm humidity sometimes made it hard to breathe, intensified by the air that was thick on their tongues. A whole day of being in a wet and uncomfortably warm environment while on a constant state of high alert had shortened everyone's tempers too. By the time they reached the next checkpoint, their campsite for the night, even Eagle was so tired that he had stopped talking a while ago. Wordlessly, Alex and the soldiers split up their tasks in setting up the camp again.

This time, Badger pulled him aside, after Alex had radioed in to base camp, and told Alex to look for packages of tablets in his rucksack. Once he found them, the comms expert separated the packages and pointed out, "These are water purification tablets. You can use them to make sure you have safe drinking water. And these are hexamine fuel tablets. Sometimes, it's better to use these for a smokeless fire than to make one yourself from your surroundings, particularly if you don't want to leave any trace."

Alex nodded and rummaged in his rucksack for a lighter. As he helped to heat up their food with the disposable stoves and fuel tablets, he heard Squirrel and Horse talking quietly in a foreign language, occasionally glancing at Alex.

" - او حتی به اندازه کافی قد نمی کشید تا از طریق آموزش منظم ارتش رفته!" Squirrel exclaimed angrily, trying to keep his voice down. ( - He doesn't even look old enough to have gone through regular army training!)

"اما او هنوز هم صلاحیت دارد تا با ما همکاری کند. برای آن، او سزاوار است که مانند یکی از ما رفتار شود. و آیا نگرش و سطح مهارت او نگرانی شما نیست؟ او مانند یک کودک عمل نمی کند. این باعث می شود که ما بدانیم که چه اتفاقی برای او افتاده و او را به عنوان یک سرباز ارتقا داده است," Horse fired back hotly. (But he's still competent enough to keep up with us. For that, he deserves to be treated like one of us. And doesn't his attitude and skill level concern you? He doesn't act like a child. It makes us wonder what happened to him and who raised him to be a soldier.)

Squirrel reluctantly muttered something that, even if it was in a language that he understood, Alex couldn't catch. Seeing that the soldiers' conversation was over, Alex went back to heating up their food, wondering what that had been about, and caught Badger staring at him with a calculative look. He raised an eyebrow at the comms expert.

"They were speaking Dari. You know that B-Unit isn't happy about you being here, especially considering how young you look," Badger explained in a low voice. "Well, Horse was just telling Squirrel that the only thing that matters is that you're competent enough to train with us." He paused, then asked shrewdly, "Do you want to learn Dari and Pashto?"

Suddenly, he was Abdul Hassan for a moment again, in Bangkok with Ash acting as his father, Karim. A memory of their meeting with Anan Sukit came to mind. Ash had been negotiating in Dari but the snakehead had slapped Alex, twice, on each side of his face and demanded that Alex go alone to get the papers they needed. He wished he could have understood what they were saying. Had Ash been genuinely surprised and shaken by it? Or had his godfather staged it, acting worried while planning Alex's deadly Thai boxing match right in front of him? The men involved were dead so Alex supposed he would never know the answer. Mentally shaking himself out of the memory, he took a deep breath and looked Badger in the eyes, firmly saying, "Yes, I want to learn."

"Okay, I'll start teaching you during our watch duty these next few weeks," Badger promised, eyeing the boy warily, having noticed something off in those few seconds before Cub answered him. It was like the teen had been a million miles away before a hard look had entered those brown eyes, turning them into a frozen tundra. "Is there a... story behind your decision?" Badger asked hesitantly.

Cub stayed silent for so long that Badger thought he would never answer and was startled when the teen told him emotionlessly, "Maybe I wouldn't have been betrayed so easily if I had known Dari."

With that, Alex left to help the other soldiers with the tents, leaving behind a shocked soldier to stare after him. Even after Badger had gotten over his surprise, Alex could still feel the soldier's gaze return to him every now and then as they ate their meal and listened to the rest of the soldiers' conversation.

"Hey, Cubby!" Eagle called out, distracting Alex from Badger's glances. "You don't even complain about army rations but there's no way that you enjoy eating this stuff. What kind of food do you miss having?"

The rest of the soldiers had already talked about the food that they missed so all of their attention was on Alex, who shrugged and answered, "It depends on where I am."

"What kind of answer is that?!" Lion growled in frustration. "Too good to even share what your favorite food is?"

"What Lion is trying to, _very poorly_ , express," Snake said with a hard edge to his tone while glaring at B-Unit's leader, "is what do you mean by that?"

Amused by the cowed look that Lion gave the unit medic, Alex explained with a small smile, "I traveled a lot when I was younger. The rule I was given was to blend in with the locals. So, my favorite food depends on where I am in the world." He paused, then quoted, "'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.'"

The soldiers stared at him before exchanging glances with each other. Then, Tiger said flatly, "You were being raised for intelligence work. What kind of parents do that?"

Alex smiled grimly. "Raised for it or not, I don't think I could have escaped it." Before the soldiers could ask for clarification on that statement, Alex suggested, "Since we're all done eating, shouldn't we be packing up some of this stuff or something?"

Thrown off by his sudden change in topic, the soldiers looked at their empty cans in surprise before scrambling to help him pack up the stove and clean their camp so no animals would come searching for food in the night. When they were done, Alex and the soldiers worked on their combat skills while Treat watched them from a distance. The first half an hour was dedicated to individual matches and learning some more moves from the soldiers. Alex copied them until he was sure that he had the right movements. He wasn't good enough to win all of the matches yet but he could at least beat half of them, if narrowly. Then, the last half hour was spent learning to work as a combat unit – tactics, techniques, procedures, following the instructions of hand signals, and moving as a team. To practice all of this, the units did several drills before doing a mock fight against each other. They all ended up with some nasty bruises but none of them minded. It came with the job. Besides that, they had a good time competing against each other and were satisfied with Alex's progress.

At the end of the hour, they split up into two groups. While one group guarded the camp and tended to their kits to keep them in good condition, the other group went to wash off the sweat and grime from their bodies, changing into dry clothes to spend the rest of the night in. Alex was on guard duty first and found the maintenance of his kit to be quite soothing, especially the repetitive motion of cleaning his rifle. It felt similar to meditation and helped to control the worries he felt about bathing in front of the soldiers for the first time since he arrived back at Brecon Beacons. As it turned out, he didn't even have to worry because the soldiers never noticed any of his scars. He thought that was odd and it wasn't until he heard Snake comment confusedly to the others that he must have already gone back to the tents that Alex realized he was unconsciously using the shadows to stay invisible like Yassen had taught him. The soldiers couldn't see that he was standing right there with them!

Smirking to himself, Alex hurriedly finished up washing, taking care to not step on a millipede or get stung by a wasp, and slipped past the soldiers to beat them to the tents. If they were going to assume that he had cleaned up more quickly and gone back without them, then he was going to make sure they kept thinking that. It made avoiding questions about his scars much easier.

By the time the soldiers got back to the tents, Treat was already in the middle of teaching Alex about solving quadratic equations and its practical uses. He caught on quickly and, by the end of the hour, was able to solve the problems using all three methods - factoring the equation, using the quadratic formula, and completing the square. After that, the two of them went through some of the subject material for Geography, History, and English for the next three hours, spending an hour on each course with the humanities lessons being taught in Japanese. For the last hour of their study session, Treat moved on to Chemistry, teaching Alex about covalent bonds.

"Think of it this way," Treat said after explaining how the bond works. "Organic compounds are an example of this bond. So, let's say that you and I are organic compounds. And we have a puppy between us. This means that we're non-metal elements and the puppy is the electron. Now, you and I share the same, or similar, values in life. That will represent the electronegativity of the atom in this illustration. If we have identical values, then a pure covalent bond will form. But if we only have similar values, a covalent bond will form. Meaning the electron that we are sharing, or puppy in this example, will spend more time closer to one of us than the other. No matter which type of covalent bond forms, it makes the connection between us, or rather the atoms, more stable."

Something in the woman's tone and expression made him think that she was talking about more than just the school curriculum. Was it a test that Jones had put the spy up to? Or was Treat suggesting something?

"So we would be in a stable relationship?" Alex asked casually.

There was a moment of silence as the woman decided how to respond. Then, "We're of a similar age in the same profession, working for the same side. We understand each other better than most others would. It's as stable and ideal as it can get for people like us," Treat said softly, blushing but moving closer to him.

Raising an eyebrow and making sure that no one else could hear them, Alex asked amusedly, "You do know that I'm underage, right?"

A pause. "Yes." Another beat of silence. Then, the woman exhaled slowly. "I forget that you're not an adult. I used to see you as a child... but after spending these past couple of weeks around you, it's hard to remember that you're underage. Your thoughts on various social issues, the way you weigh everyone's opinions before making a decision, and dealing with these impossibly difficult situations in your life... You're so much more capable and mature than most adults are."

"Well, don't start treating me like a child now," Alex said dryly. "I quite enjoy talking to you as an equal."

Treat grinned. "Don't worry. I don't think I can ever think of you as a child again. And we're still fairly close in age, especially compared to most of our other colleagues. I hope we get a chance to be partners sometime."

"Maybe someday."

As it was getting late, they quickly wrapped up their study session and went back to their tents. While Treat went to sleep, Alex nodded to J-Unit in passing and sat down for half an hour of meditations and combat breathing exercises before following the woman's example. When he was woken for watch duty four hours later, Alex still felt tired but was glad that his nightmares hadn't acted up. Yawning, he grabbed his rifle and followed Wolf out of their tent, taking up a position by Badger. The rest of the night was spent learning Dari and Pashto from the comms expert while they kept a lookout for any sign of trouble. Like the night before, it was fairly uneventful. It was just the sounds of the jungle inhabitants. Among them, they could hear the constant flapping of bat wings and the occasional squeaking from the airborne mammals' echolocation which became a familiar sound to the soldiers. Other than that, the most dangerous had been seeing the rare and elusive Borneo bay cat roaming around the opposite side of the river they were camped on. Alex and K-Unit stayed still as soon as they saw the feline, preparing for danger while trying to not startle it into attacking them. They had only relaxed once the bay cat had disappeared into the distance, just in time to wake the others for breakfast.

The next three weeks passed by with much of the same activities and it all blurred together. Every day, Alex would listen to lectures during the march through the jungle, learn about Special Forces TTPs and weapons while practicing their combat with drills or matches against each other, and do the five hour study sessions with Treat. These study sessions provided some time for the soldiers to give base camp an update on their location and Alex's progress with the training, as well as plan the next day's exercises. There was one exercise in particular they had planned that Alex detested even though he passed it every time. It was one where he was required to stand at attention, motionless, for two hours straight. He knew it was to test his patience and endurance for reconnaissance operations, where there was a lot of waiting around for something to happen and the slightest movement might give away your location. But even after a whole day of military exercises, that thought didn't keep him from feeling restless.

Every night, he would evade the soldiers' prying eyes when they washed up, clean his kit, do his meditations and combat breathing, sleep, and learn Dari and Pashto from Badger during their watch duty. The only difference in their routine was when they did each military exercise and how much time they spent on it each day. Sometimes, they either spent the whole day marching or the whole day doing combat practice. Other times, they would have half a day for each activity. During times that the soldiers set up night exercises for him, Alex would either already be on watch duty or he was abruptly pulled from his sleep to deal with whatever situation the units had decided to throw at him that night.

As the weeks went by, they became more exhausted with an increasingly bad mood but Alex appeared to have been able to control his temper better than most of the other soldiers. Tiger, Badger, and Snake were the exception, only showing slight irritation. The other exception was Eagle, providing frequent chatter and cracking jokes every now and then. It seemed to help lift everyone's moods a little bit which made Alex realize that the weapons expert could be serious when they needed him to be but often acted like a child because, after understanding his twin brother's wishes, it was his way of coping with the stress. A part of it might even be that Eagle recognized that his childishness helped with morale and sometimes deliberately acted that way as a contribution to the team.

With this revelation, Alex began to see the man in a new light as he studied Eagle's behavior. The demolitions expert had made them commit to some bonding time during their nightly meals, the only time that training would allow them to relax, in an effort to raise their spirits and integrate Alex into their units. So, every night, they played games or just talked for an hour while sitting around the campfire and eating their meager dinners. It was during these meals that Alex learned more about the soldiers, slowly coming to trust them more. He was amazed at how open they were, talking about everything they could think of.

Because of their openness, Alex found himself telling them a little bit more about himself than he normally would. Still nothing too important, like missions or his family background, but it was a step in letting the soldiers know him better. They seemed to appreciate it and Alex wondered if that was what Eagle had intended to happen as a result of these campfire conversations. Although B-Unit wasn't as friendly as the other two units were, even Lion's hostility towards him had eventually tamed to the occasional biting remark and the unit leader's team had followed suit.

The only problem with the soldiers being more friendly was that they paid more attention to him than they had in the past. It took more effort to hide his scars and make sure he wasn't having nightmares. Even more inconvenient, he had to force himself to act normal when he felt a presence tracking them near the end of the second week. Alex didn't want to alarm the soldiers yet, in case he was just being paranoid. And after a few minutes of monitoring the presence, he relaxed slightly as he recognized that it was Yassen. There was no doubt that the man noticed that Alex knew he was there. He didn't think the assassin was here to kill anyone. A brief thought that the man might want to draw him away into a private training session crossed his mind but he dismissed that idea too. With the SAS around every single second, he wouldn't be able to get away anyways. These assumptions were confirmed when Alex could no longer detect the Russian's presence the next morning.

By the end of the third week, Alex had been fully integrated into each of the three units. He was able to complete all of the military exercises, smoothly playing whatever role he was assigned within the teams, and there was a comfortable camaraderie that had developed. A certain level of trust that went both ways. The soldiers had even openly expressed their full confidence that he would pass the jungle phase of training. Just as well too. As Alex and Treat came back from their study session on the third Saturday in the jungle, they immediately saw that something was wrong. The soldiers were huddled together, whispering furiously at each other.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

The soldiers sprang apart at the sound of his voice, looking uneasily at him in silence. Jaw clenched, Wolf growled out, "Base camp just informed us that your training is to be cut short. Your test week starts tomorrow. After you've finished the assessment, we're flying straight back to Brecon Beacons."

So Jones wanted to pull him out for a mission, Alex thought as he crossed his arms and leaned against a tree. "Is that all?"

The men looked at him incredulously. "Your survival training has been cut short without a reason and that's all you have to say?!" Tiger exclaimed.

"Not to mention that it cuts into your regular schooling," Treat added quietly.

"Are you even taking this seriously?" Badger questioned angrily, stalking back and forth. "You could die! It's happened to fully trained soldiers before in training!"

Alex felt his jaw twitch in annoyance before saying in a deadpan voice, "What's there to take seriously? This has always been my dream vacation."

The soldiers exchanged bewildered looks and stared back at him. "What the hell, Cub?!"

"I'm sure he's just being sarcastic," Treat assured them dryly.

"Quit fooling around," Tiger growled.

"Cutting the training short isn't that big of a deal. You've already said that I would pass the test."

"Getting cocky now, aren't we?" Lion challenged.

"Doubting your own teaching abilities?" Alex fired back coolly.

"Alright, that's enough," Snake interrupted while stepping between them with hands out in a placating gesture.

Lion sighed before commenting curiously, "You don't seem surprised about being pulled out of training early."

"Cubby, did you already know that this would happen?" Eagle frowned.

Alex studied the soldiers for a moment. At his silence, even Treat shot him a questioning look. Finally, he gave in and revealed, "I suspected."

"Anything else you haven't told us?" Wolf asked scathingly.

"Nothing you need to know." With that, he went into his assigned tent and started meditations, leaving behind frustrated soldiers and a concerned spy to their thoughts. As he did his meditations, Alex heard Treat and the soldiers whispering to each other. While the woman didn't normally share information with the units, it seemed that she was making an exception this time. The bits of whispered conversation he caught made him smile in dark amusement. Yes, his training wasn't completed and he still had a long way to go before he finished school. But since when had those been a priority when he was dealing with MI6? Treat and the soldiers were naïve to think that it mattered. Their outrage would accomplish nothing. And truth be told, Alex was looking forward to another mission. Finishing up his combat breathing exercises, he fell asleep to the sound of Eagle refusing to talk about the details of the false gharial incident and Alex's own reactions to it when the soldiers questioned the sharpshooter as they were trying to, once again, piece together his life and unusual reactions.

The next morning, Alex woke up to a flurry of activity, Treat and the soldiers packing up the camp after their hurried breakfast. Once everything was loaded into their rucksacks, Wolf gave him a map and compass, telling him the time and location of the few checkpoints he had to make, as well as his final destination. After that, a helicopter from base camp came to pick up Treat and the soldiers, leaving Alex alone in the jungle.

Normally, this assessment was done in units but Jones had ordered his test to be accomplished alone. This only put the soldiers into an even fouler mood. As the helicopter disappeared from view, Alex let out a deep sigh and started mapping out his route. Fifteen minutes later, he secured an empty can to collect rainwater for drinking as he walked and was on the move again, making for his first checkpoint. He was glad that he had paid attention to their position throughout the last three weeks. Everything looked the same so it was easy to get lost in the jungle. Knowing his starting position had helped cut down on the amount of time spent figuring out the locations. As he marched through the rainforest, Alex enjoyed the calm of having only the sounds of the jungle envelope him while he used everything the soldiers had taught him in those few weeks to keep himself alive and healthy. Despite having to find his way around snakes, a Borneo pygmy elephant, and some clouded leopards, Alex made good time, using the sun and the moon to tell time and direction like he had been taught.

For the most part, Alex found that he liked marching through the jungle in solitude better. The only time he really wished that the soldiers were still around was when he went to sleep. There was no one to switch guard duty shifts with and that took a noticeable toll on his mental state. He had always been a light sleeper but he was on a constant state of alert now, just in case an animal came across him while he was unconscious.

After the third day of not sleeping, Alex was so exhausted that he could barely walk straight. As he swerved around a tree for the fourth time that day, he suddenly groaned out loud, tempted to let himself hit his head on the tree for his stupidity, as he remembered Yassen's advice to him. _The meditation can be useful when you are on a mission where it is not wise to let down your guard. Even though it cannot replace sleep, it will substitute it in the short term by letting your body and mind rest._ Those were the man's words. So for the rest of the week, he practiced deep meditation for five hours every night. It only took one night of this for him to feel a marked improvement in his energy levels while still being aware of his surroundings at all times. Even so, Treat and the soldiers were shocked at his red eyes and lack of coordination when he finally met them at his last checkpoint at the end of the week. Alex had regressed to the exhausted state he had been in just before he took up the nightly deep meditation. He supposed that only frequent conditioning would lengthen the amount of time that the practice would be effective for.

Not knowing what to say, the soldiers simply stared at him for a long moment. Eventually, Wolf grunted, "Congratulations, Cub. You passed the jungle phase."

Nodding, Snake added, "We're boarding a plane in a few minutes. Get some sleep on the flight back."

Alex didn't even have the strength to nod but, sure enough, a plane arrived a few minutes later to take them back to Wales and he didn't need any more encouragement to fall asleep. He was out like a light as soon as he sat down and no amount of noise could wake him up. As the plane landed in Brecon Beacons, Badger got up and carefully shook Alex's shoulder. Treat and the soldiers froze in shock as Alex's unfocused eyes snapped open, scanning wildly for threats, while a fist was already aiming for the comms expert's face. Recognizing Badger, Alex pulled his punch at the last second to lessen the impact and groaned, flopping back into his seat while dragging a hand over his face. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at everyone. "Good to know that a week of sleepless nights makes me paranoid," he said dryly.

"ATTENTION!" Sergeant Sanders barked out as he approached, making them jump to stand at attention and cutting off whatever the soldiers were going to say. "Cub, go get cleaned up. The rest of you, including you," Sanders pointed to Treat, "follow me to my office."

They scrambled to comply. As Alex trudged over to the showers, the soldiers exchanged looks and followed the sergeant to his office, standing at attention again when they walked into the room.

"At ease," Sanders finally said after studying Treat and the soldiers. "How did Cub do?"

"Sir," Wolf responded. "Even though Cub's training was cut short with a significant amount of time dedicated to regular schooling and his assessment was modified to be done alone, instead of with a unit, he passed with flying colours."

"Throughout the test, we tracked his location and noticed that he made several detours from the expected path." Tiger added. "We're assuming that he ran into some trouble, like animals in those areas, but Cub still made every single checkpoint on time."

"Because he was doing this alone, Cub seems to have not slept at all for the duration of the test," Snake said quietly. "That's a whole week of sleep deprivation that none of the other recruits have endured for this phase of training. I'm surprised he was still functional enough to complete the assessment."

"Other than that," Otter took over, "Cub seems to have no injuries. It doesn't even look like that bullet wound is giving him trouble either." He paused. "Although he doesn't have any injuries, I'm worried about the amount of weight he's lost. It's expected for this phase but he seems to have lost the same amount of weight as other recruits would in a shorter amount of time."

Sanders nodded and frowned as he listened to the report. He was both impressed and troubled by the teen's performance. "How is he progressing with schoolwork?"

"Fine," Treat answered. "He's a quick learner and we got through more material than I expected."

"What level is he at?"

"Classified," Treat said. Telling them the level of material they were studying would reveal Cub's age and Jones had forbidden her from letting the soldiers know that.

Frustrated, Sanders switched to questioning the soldiers instead. "Anything unusual?"

They exchanged glances and Wolf growled, "A lot."

"Cub is much more mature than the rest of you," Treat smirked playfully. "Unlike the units, he kept his temper. Sometimes, he even kept you soldiers in line so we could stay on track."

Sanders raised an eyebrow at this but the soldiers didn't protest, only rolled their eyes at her. They knew it was true. Instead, Hawk started off with saying, "The first thing we tested Cub on was choosing a good, defensible camp location. He did that without any issues and we didn't have to train him for it even though recruits usually need some guidance there."

"After Eagle and Cub came back late from collecting firewood on the first day because they encountered a false gharial, we realized that we never briefed Cub about the Borneo environment. Cub didn't find the lack of information odd and never asked because he goes into his missions blind," Wolf growled. "He's only given his objective. Maybe the target person's background. And Eagle's been acting shifty whenever the false gharial is brought up but still won't tell us what actually happened."

"I promised Cub I wouldn't," Eagle simply answered, staring ahead.

"He's had a sudden interest in learning Dari and Pashto," Snake hastily interrupted before Wolf could yell at their weapons expert. "Badger has been teaching him during our watch duty shifts."

"Badger has been unusually silent when we ask him anything about it," Horse commented curiously.

"I don't think it's my place to say," Badger said blankly as he shifted uncomfortably.

Seeing that Wolf's face was getting redder with every secret his unit was keeping, Tiger followed Snake's example and tersely interrupted his fellow unit leader. "We asked Cub about his favorite food and he said that it depends on where he is in the world because he was trained to do as the locals do. He was raised for intelligence work, which is bad enough, but Cub believes that he would have ended up in this line of work, regardless of upbringing."

"Another unusual thing is that Cub still doesn't exactly wash up with us," Bat added. "He'll go with us but he seems to be done and back at camp before any of us sees what he's hiding."

"I don't think that assumption is right. I think we don't see him wash up because he mastered the art of invisibility," Lion explained sourly. "There are times when I know Cub is there but I can't see him. He's hidden in the shadows. During the hills phase, my unit taught him the basics of camouflage and staying hidden but he was still a novice back then. I don't know how he managed to master the skill within a week of us teaching him."

"When we told him that training was cut short and he was starting his assessment the next day, Cub didn't seem surprised at all," Badger continued their report. "Said he already suspected it would happen. With less training time, he wasn't even concerned about the possibility of dying in the jungle. Who makes a joke about that?!"

"Don't forget that Cub had a more violent reaction to being shaken awake than usual after the assessment," Eagle chimed in.

"Hard to forget that I've been punched in the face less than half an hour ago," Badger retorted good-naturedly. "Cub pulled his punch but my face is still smarting from the impact."

Done with their report on Cub's unusual life, they waited in silence for the sergeant to speak. The soldiers watched as Sanders ran a hand through his hair and over his face before addressing them again. "There's still a lot that doesn't make sense about Cub - who he is, why he's here, how he became this way. But one thing I'm certain of, is that Cub has a strange life. A hard one that has made him grow up too fast. He's no snotty, rich brat. And, although we don't know his age, I think it's safe to say that it doesn't matter at this point. He is clearly too young to be involved in all of this. And younger than he acts. Like I said before, we need to gain his trust before we can help him. Have you accomplished that?"

The soldiers shifted uneasily. "Not exactly," Wolf answered for them. "He's opened up about little details, like the fact that he's a Chelsea fan or that he's lived in the States for a couple of months, but nothing important about his past."

Sanders nodded and sighed. "He's going to be difficult to get to but keep working on earning his trust. And Wolf, don't be too hard on your teammates for keeping secrets. It will help Cub realize that you can be trusted."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go find Cub and tell him to report to my office."

Treat and the soldiers saluted the sergeant and walked out to do as they were told. A few minutes later though, they panicked as they realized that the teen was nowhere to be found. Breaking up into teams of two, they searched the whole camp for half an hour. And still, nothing.

"Cub's duffle bag is still here," Snake commented. "I don't think he intended to leave."

"Where the hell is he though?!" Wolf snapped. "I swear if he's playing hide and seek, I'm going to strangle him!"

"Hold that thought, Wolf," Tiger called out as he jogged over to where they were gathered. "I reported it to the sergeant and he wants us back in his office."

When they entered the sergeant's office, they found Sanders pacing back and forth, looking like he was ready to pull out his hair. Warily, they stood at attention and waited for further instruction.

Abruptly the sergeant turned to face them. "I got a call from MI6 to call off our search for Cub. You have a week of leave and then you are to return back here. That's it."

They stared at the sergeant in shock. Even Treat hadn't expected this and she was supposed to be kept in the loop about Cub's status for the foreseeable future. "Sir - " Wolf protested.

"DON'T ASK ME! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ELSE! IF THOSE MI6 BASTARDS THINK THEY CAN COME IN AND PULL WHOEVER THEY WANT OUT OF MY CAMP, THEY'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING! NOW LEAVE SO I CAN REPORT THIS TO COMMAND AND HOPEFULLY THEY CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

Not needing any more incentive than a raging sergeant, they fled.

 **A/N: I have no idea if the Dari that was copied from Google Translate is the right translation. If anyone does know, please do tell me. I'd like to learn more about it!**

 **Thanks for reading! With the writer's block, I really hope this chapter was good and not boring. Please do follow, favorite, and/or review! :D**


	14. Home Security

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed the story since the last chapter!**

 **Galimaufry: Thanks for the review! I'm so happy that you enjoyed the chapter and glad to hear your thoughts on the little details! It lets me know that someone likes this story enough to pay attention. I'm pleased that I've managed to develop the characters a little more too. It'll be interesting to see how Alex keeps evolving as I write. Also, I agree with your comments on the coping mechanisms. How Alex reacts to trauma will be very telling for the direction his life decisions will go. Once again, thanks for your thoughts!**

 **aniseed flower: Thanks for the review! I'm happy that you like the details of the jungle environment! I've never been in a tropical place so it was really hard for me to imagine what the jungle would have been like. And yes, I did read the short story collection! It took me a while to get around to it but it was a good read. Like you, I read most of the short stories that were posted on his website but the new stuff was just as good! And yes, parachuting a horse off the side of the cliff! Only Alex would think of something that insane! The poor horse must've just about had a heart attack before deciding to trust Alex after that stunt!**

 **It's been quite a while since I last updated the story. I've been having writer's block and reading a couple of books during this time. Hopefully it hasn't been so long that you guys have lost interest in reading this story! xD Anyways, one of the books I read since the last chapter is Anthony Horowitz' new collection of short stories. I've noticed that he's changed some things from the original ones that were posted on his website, like names (although that could be a difference between US and UK versions) and the ending of the short story with Miss Treat (Maxwell in the version I just read). One of the short stories from his website about someone assassinating a politician while Alex is on his way to the movies wasn't in the collection either. For the story with Miss Treat, I'm going to stick with the original one on his website since I already wrote the previous chapters before I had a chance to read this new book.**

 **Disclaimer: I usually write out the disclaimer and author's notes after I've finished writing the rest of the chapter. Somewhere along the way, I got so excited to post a new chapter that I forgot to write the disclaimer with every chapter that I post. xD Anyways, I don't own Alex Rider and this applies to every chapter in the story, even if I didn't put a disclaimer on some of them.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

Two people sat across from each other in the bland office of the Royal and General Bank on Liverpool Street with only a bowl of peppermints on the desk between them. They had been staring at each other for the past ten minutes, neither backing down. As Mrs. Jones waited for her deputy to bring in the last guest for their meeting, she examined the boy in front of her and was surprised to see the changes that the last month and a half had wrought. The teen was calmer, physically fitter, and even more observant than the last time she had seen him. Even though they had been staring at each other, Mrs. Jones knew that the boy had taken in all of their surroundings, aware of everything at all times. It was in the way that his muscles tensed at the slightest sound, the slightest movement. But even more noticeable was the lack of questions. The boy had always been quiet but he never held back on questions, particularly when the espionage world came calling, so it was disconcerting to not hear anything for once. As soon as she had intercepted Alex when he came out of the showers at Brecon Beacons, he had followed her into the waiting helicopter, neither saying a word. They still hadn't said a word, even after the half hour flight back to London. The silence threw her off and Mrs. Jones had prolonged it by keeping quiet as well. Besides the unsuitability of discussing confidential information outside of her office, and without the deputy or their guest, she wanted to test the teen. To see how much silence Alex could take before his innate curiosity became too much. Judging by the silence, these past few weeks had taught him more control and patience. He hadn't even fidgeted. Then again, she didn't think that she had ever seen him fidget. It wasn't normal for a child to act this way. She found herself wondering, again, if she was making the right choice.

Alex had a good idea of what Mrs. Jones wanted when he walked out of the showers and saw the head of special operations waiting for him. Like he told the soldiers, he had already guessed the reason for pulling him out of training early. With that in mind, he kept silent the whole way back and was amused to see a flicker of confusion in the woman's eyes. Fleeting enough that Alex almost thought he imagined it. But still there. With the continued silence from both of them, Alex studied Mrs. Jones in return, trying to figure out what her motives were. Because Yassen was right. Everyone in the intelligence community was always plotting something. And if there was one thing he had learned about Blunt and Jones, it was that they never did anything without a reason. Most of the time, if not all, that reason played into a long range game filled with carefully calculated moves. Ones that were five steps, even ten steps, ahead of their allies and opponents. So, although Alex had an idea of what the woman wanted, he still had plenty of questions. Why was he pulled from the camp without the soldiers being informed? He grimaced inwardly at the thought of the welcome he would receive when he went back after the mission. Alex could already almost hear Wolf and the sergeant screaming at him, demanding answers. Why the continued silence? Normally, the woman would have attempted some small talk at least. Although, her confusion at his own silence might have prompted some sort of test to be thrown his way. What were they still waiting for? The silence, and their staring contest, had continued after reaching her office. And the thing that had been bothering him since the last time he had been in this office, why did she give him those files on K-Unit? Other than the surprise of receiving any information at all, there had been much more information than necessary in those files. They were a glimpse into each of the soldiers' minds. A look into everything that went on behind the scenes of a mission. Alex couldn't help but wonder what this sudden willingness to hand over information to him meant. He intended to find out something about Jones' agenda by the end of this meeting though.

Three sharp knocks on the door sounded before two men walked into the office, interrupting Alex and Mrs. Jones from their musings. Recognizing the limping, grey-haired man and remembering Jones' request to get along, Alex smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Morris."

"Rider," Morris greeted stiffly, barely looking in Alex's direction, as the two men sat down.

"So this is Alex Rider," exclaimed the brawny man that Morris had brought, sizing Alex up. "He certainly doesn't look like much."

"Alex, this is Richard Barker, the head of MI5," Jones introduced, unwrapping a peppermint. "As he has requested your services, he will be your handler for this mission, should you accept."

"Mission handler?" Barker questioned disgustedly. "I'm the head of an intelligence agency. I don't monitor details every step of the way or coordinate logistics and communications for individual missions."

"That's fine," Alex said coolly, interrupting whatever Jones was going to say. He already didn't like this man's attitude. Barker seemed like the kind of arrogant man that overestimated their own value and underestimated everyone else's. "I don't need a mission handler anyways."

Morris glared at the teen. "Everyone needs a mission handler. It's a standard operating procedure. They're your link to the chain of command and a lifeline. It could save your life."

"Or get me killed," Alex countered blandly. This was the first time he was hearing of getting a proper mission handler. He supposed Blunt and Jones had kind of been his handlers but they never communicated beyond the mission briefing and debriefing. In between those, they certainly weren't of any help to him. Although he knew that communication with the intelligence agencies during the mission was important and had always wished for it, Alex wasn't comfortable with putting that communication in the hands of someone he didn't trust. He'd already been through that experience when he was partnered with Ash for his mission with ASIS. That had nearly resulted in having his eyes gouged out for sale on the black market.

"It doesn't matter," Jones cut in. "Mission handler or not, Richard will still be overseeing your mission in some capacity."

"You can't be serious!" Morris hissed furiously, an incredulous look on his face. "There needs to be a mission handler."

"Alex has proven successful without one," Jones said. "So if he doesn't want a mission handler, we won't give him one. He makes the decision."

Both men gave Jones bewildered looks. It seemed that the head of MI6's Special Operations division would be disregarding protocols when it came to the teen. Neither knew how to respond to this unfamiliar situation. Meanwhile, Alex took in their reactions with a smirk. It felt good to have his opinions considered in the decisions for once. Then, he studied Jones as another thought came to him. When he had offered to continue working for MI6, her condition had been that he was to follow standards and protocols. So why was she suddenly allowing him to make the decisions? He filed it away in his mind to examine some other time. For now, he broke the silence by asking, "So, what's the mission?"

Barker cleared his throat. "Your mission for us is simple - eliminate any threats to the Prime Minister's family."

"Bodyguard duty?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's a new one."

"I'm sure you're aware that a new Prime Minister was elected a couple of months ago," Mrs. Jones said. "In an effort to build relationships and get to know his colleagues better, he has decided to host a Christmas gathering of British government officials at Downing Street for a full week, including Christmas Day. The family and friends of these government officials are invited as well to make the gathering more friendly and welcoming. Several activities have been planned to take place inside and outside of the building."

"The problem is that there is a huge security risk in having so many high-ranked people in one place, particularly when they are outside of the headquarters' walls," Barker continued. "It becomes even more dangerous because, according to intelligence reports that my agents have gathered, there is reason to believe that the Prime Minister and his family are being targeted by the Hunt Syndicate. However, we're still trying to figure out the motive."

"The Hunt Syndicate," Morris explained, "is one of London's major crime families. Not much is known about how they operate because they have managed to evade significant penetration from law enforcement in all the years they have been around. There are three things we do know though. The first is that the leader is David Hunt, known as Long Fella because of his height. The second is that their criminal activities include racketeering, drug trafficking, murder, extortion, bribery, pimping, bookmaking, money laundering, smuggling, fraud, arms trafficking, and theft. The third is that one of their major allies is the biggest criminal organization in London - the Clerkenwell Syndicate, otherwise known as the Adams family or the A-team."

"So what do you want me to do?" Alex asked, fully aware that the lack of information on the Hunt Syndicate made his mission much harder. With politics and two potential major criminal organizations being involved, it was definitely not a simple mission, no matter what Barker had told him.

At his question, Alex sensed a rapidly rising tension in the room. Barker glared at Jones as she explained, "Of course, the Prime Minister and his family already have tight security surrounding them but they are too conspicuous. That's where you come in. I'm sure you remember Sir Graham Adair, the Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office." Alex nodded. "He has agreed to bring you to the gathering as a guest. While you are there, your job is to befriend the Prime Minister's wife and daughter so you can watch over them and deal with any threats to their lives during this week. Will you accept this mission?"

The men each raised an eyebrow at her question. "You're giving him a choice?" Barker asked incredulously.

"Well, yes," Jones replied, turning her stony gaze towards the head of MI5. "As I'm sure you're aware, Alex is not actually employed by us so we cannot order him to do a mission."

"And when he is employed?" Morris questioned.

"We have already come to the understanding that he will have to follow orders and adhere to standards, procedures, and protocols," Jones answered. "However, as one of this country's most valuable agents, he will have some privileges, such as choosing some of the missions that he undertakes. Further details will be discussed when he signs the contract." Turning back to Alex and ignoring the glances that the men exchanged at her response, she asked again, "Do you accept this mission?"

Alex stayed silent as he regarded the three heads, deep in thought. Barker was clearly unhappy about the mission's plan. Alex didn't know how he felt about it. Unlike the Friend family from his second mission, at least the Adair family liked him. But the reason they did was because his father, John Rider, had saved their son's life on Albert Bridge. James Adair had even named his own son after Alex's father. Knowing all this history between their families, Alex wasn't sure if he was ready to face the Adairs again. It didn't matter how he felt though. If he accepted the mission, it seemed that everything had already been arranged for him to get started. Alex would be spending a whole week with the Adair family in order to get close to the Prime Minister's wife and daughter. Finally, he said, "I accept. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Not really," Barker answered with a hint of relief in his voice, straightening his suit as he got up from his seat. "MI6 will be providing you with the equipment you need, along with the files we have on both criminal organizations and a blueprint of Downing Street. I'll leave you to it. Nice meeting you, Rider."

With that, Barker walked out, not even bothering to say goodbye to the two heads of Special Operations. Silence followed as Mrs. Jones waited until she was sure that Barker wouldn't be eavesdropping. After a few minutes, Alex saw fleeting hesitation in Jones' eyes, filled with worry and indecision. Then, she wiped all emotion from her face. "What are you keeping from me, Mrs. Jones?" The woman stayed silent with her blank expression, mind racing as she considered how much information to reveal. "Tulip," Alex prodded deliberately in warning.

Mrs. Jones stiffened and huffed out in annoyance, "Don't call me that."

"Then, tell me what it is," Alex simply said, enjoying the fact that he had managed to annoy her for once. And judging by Morris' wide eyes, that was no easy task. Of course, what he didn't know was that, besides the uncharacteristic show of emotion, Morris was also hearing the woman's given name for the first time. No one, except for Alex and Blunt, had known that piece of information.

Jones examined Alex, causing them to enter into another staring contest. This one was a test of wills, each of them determined to make the other give in. Eventually, Jones broke eye contact and sighed, putting another peppermint into her mouth. "There are two things that make your mission more complicated. Because of the lack of information about the Hunt Syndicate, Barker wanted you to infiltrate the organization itself. He's bitter that I insisted on putting you among the government instead. In fact, I made it a condition of lending your services out to him."

So that was where the tension came from, Alex thought. He didn't know which method of getting the mission done was worse. But either way, he knew enough about intelligence agencies to guess that Jones would want him to find out more about the inner workings of the Hunt Syndicate if the chance presented itself. The question was why she was so insistent on protecting the Prime Minister's family by close proximity instead of taking down the plot from the inside. As Jones and Morris waited for some sort of response from him, Alex continued to steadily gaze back at the woman and turned over all of the information he had so far in his mind. To be safe, he knew he had to think beyond just this mission. After awhile, he asked, "Does the current Prime Minister know about me?"

"No."

Interesting. Especially considering the circumstances surrounding the demise of Blunt's career within MI6. Another moment passed. Then, Alex stated, "You turned down BND's request for this. Why?"

"It was better suited to you," Jones answered, repeating her reasoning from his last mission debriefing.

"I'm hardly trained for close protection work," Alex countered dryly.

"I'm sure you can handle it."

"It's not my skills that makes this mission better suited to me, is it?" Alex asked, realization dawning on his face.

"What do you mean?" Morris cautiously joined into the conversation. He had been watching the teen's interactions with his boss, baffled by what he was seeing. He wasn't even sure which one of them was in charge at the moment. The informal way that the teen addressed the head of special operations showed a blatant lack of professional respect, a disregard for the chain of command that he had never seen in an MI6 agent before. Then, there was the way that Jones had conceded to the teen and followed his lead as she answered his, seemingly unrelated, questions.

Both pairs of eyes flicked towards Morris at his question before promptly returning back to assessing each other. As an indirect answer to Morris' question, Alex speculated out loud. "The last Prime Minister forced Mr. Blunt to resign after finding out about me working for MI6. To keep your job, you want to control how, and when, I show up on the current Prime Minister's radar, manipulating him into being on board with my employment as early as possible. That's why you want me near the Prime Minister for this mission and why it's more important than the mission for BND, isn't it? And then, the cherry on top is that MI5 will owe us a favour. Did I miss anything?"

A look of understanding flickered across Morris' face as Alex finished up his theory, making Alex realize that Jones and Morris weren't on the same page like Blunt and Jones had been. He filed that piece of information away in his mind for later too, turning his attention back to the woman.

As Jones sat back, still studying the teen in front of her, she wondered why she still bothered to hold expectations that allowed the teen to surprise her anymore. In the past, she and Blunt had overwhelmed the boy with information and conveyed barely veiled threats to get him to agree to anything. They had never given the teen enough time to think about the situations. Now, she was really regretting the way that they had handled the boy. When she had finished talking about Barker's intentions, she had deliberately paused to test the teen's reactions to the news. She had expected an outburst of adamant refusal to make sure he never went anywhere near the Hunt Syndicate. But that was not what she had gotten.

Although Alex didn't know it, he had just given her the best reaction she could have hoped for. In this moment, Alex had identified himself as one of them and shown how insightful he could be about the situation when he was given the time to think. The teen was definitely in the right career. His potential was beyond her wildest expectations, Jones thought. Finally, she told him with a hint of pride in her voice, "Very good, Alex. However, you are overlooking one thing." She paused, neither she or Alex missing the surprised, wide-eyed expression that Morris was giving them. Alex gestured for her to go on.

Complying, Jones explained, "When you gave us the report on Desmond McCain's plan to poison all of the wheat crops in Kenya, we immediately took it to the Prime Minister at the time. Apart from an issue with your age, he had no reason to trust anything that you said. Even after we gave him a version of your file, it wasn't enough. He couldn't be certain that your information was good. It was incredibly difficult to get him to do what we wanted. Of course, it didn't help that his advisers were present for the briefing. Those two were more focused on sabotaging each other than anything else. All the same, I want you to gain the current Prime Minister's trust so that anything involving you will go much more smoothly than the mess with Desmond McCain. Considering your track record for ending up in the most unbelievable situations, we'll need that trust to get anything done."

"Alright, I'll do what I can," Alex agreed. "But I'm not _that_ bad!"

"You ended up in outer space," Jones said, giving him a pointed look.

"That... does sound insane," Alex admitted. "What's the second thing that makes this mission more complicated?"

"Cameron and Sahara Sands," Jones answered.

Alex frowned. "What do they have to do with this?"

Jones hesitated, taking another peppermint from her bowl. "They will be guests of the Prime Minister and his family."

Morris frowned, creasing his forehead in confusion while Alex groaned inwardly. Sahara Sands was a girl that he had met two years ago on a Christmas vacation with Ian in Colorado. Her father, Cameron Sands, was an American government official who never went anywhere without his laptop. The device must have contained important information because someone had wanted it badly enough to kidnap Sahara to get it. Alex had waited for the exchange to finish before skiing down at a breakneck pace and snatching the laptop from the kidnappers' hands. Then, he had stalled for time until Ian came to rescue him from the pursuit that followed. He hadn't seen the Sands after that. Never even said goodbye. Depending on Sahara's reaction to seeing him again, it could either make it easier or harder to get close to the Prime Minister's daughter. He sighed. "How much do they know?"

"Nothing," Jones said. "To them, you and Ian were just brave tourists who helped them out of an unfortunate situation."

"Hold on!" Morris interrupted. "You're saying that Ian took you on his missions _before_ you even knew about all of this?"

"Yes."

Morris stared. "That's not right. You should never have been involved."

"I didn't want to be," Alex argued. "But I was. And there's no turning back now."

Morris stayed silent for a long moment. "Neither John or Ian would have wanted you to follow in their footsteps this soon."

"You knew my father and uncle?" Alex asked.

Morris nodded. "I've worked with both of them many times. They're fiercely protective of their families and would have wanted you to be of age before letting you know about any of this business." He paused and gave Alex a wistful smile. "Although, watching you at work today, figuring out how everything is connected… It showed me that you're capable enough to do this job, even if you are still a child. John and Ian would be proud."

Alex nodded, not sure how to respond to that statement.

Running a hand through his hair, Morris sighed. "This isn't right, but I can see that you aren't leaving this line of work anytime soon. I suppose we can look forward to working together."

Alex nodded again, smiling inwardly at the man's less hostile attitude and noting the approval in Jones' eyes. "Yes, I suppose we can."

"Good." Handing Alex the files in his hand, Morris instructed briskly, "Read these."

Alex took the files and did as he was told, reading the information they had on the two criminal organizations and memorizing the blueprints of Downing Street. It took a couple of hours to get through everything, Alex asking questions once in a while. By the time he was done, there was a crick in his neck from bending over the files and he handed everything back to Morris as Jones said, "Go back to your house to retrieve that iPhone and bring it to Smithers. He'll do some updates on it and give you some things. I suggest you use the rest of the day to prepare. At 1800 hours, a driver will meet you at the entrance and take you to the Adair residence tonight."

Alex nodded to each of the heads and left the office. Taking the tube back to Chelsea, he soon found himself walking down the street towards his house. It was quiet out, the city just starting to wake from its slumber, and no one saw Alex stiffen as he noticed that one of Jack's flowerpots was out of place. Quickly creeping around the perimeters of his house with the neighbours' vehicles and bushes as cover, he kept an eye out for any unusual movements. Alex knew he was being paranoid. Some Girl Scout hoping to sell cookies could have accidentally shifted the flowerpot on her way to the doorbell. Even a curious dog could have done it. But considering his life, he thought it was better to be safe than sorry. After a few moments of observing the place, Alex was satisfied that no one was currently occupying his house. Still, he cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.

Immediately, his sharp eyes picked up on the large footprint marring his rug, certain places where the dust had been disturbed, and a mug that he had definitely not left by the sink the last time he had been here. Silently, Alex checked every room on the ground floor to make sure they were clear. Then, he went upstairs to do the same. It was only when he reached Ian's office that he realized what had happened while he was gone. Alex stared at the open card sitting on the desk before him as Smithers' voice boomed out.

"Alex, old chap! Good to see you've survived training so far! This card has been made to activate upon recognizing your face. I made some security upgrades to your house while you were gone. Your doorbell is now fingerprint sensitive so you can only get into the house by pressing it before you use the key. If you're in a hurry or don't have your key, ring the doorbell three times to get in! Any visitors you get will also have their fingerprints scanned and sent to your iPhone for identification. Moving on, this office has been soundproofed like you requested and the office door will require a retina scan to get in. That's all for now, my dear boy!" The recording paused for a moment. "Also, this card will self-destruct in five seconds!"

Sure enough, the card went up in flames at the specified time. Alex smiled at the man's familiar methods, sweeping the ashes into the waste bin. Leaning back into the office chair behind the desk and spinning it slightly from side to side, he looked over the rest of the room to see what else MI6 had put in. There were filing cabinets lining the wall to his left and bookcases lining the wall to his right. In front of the desk were two leather chairs. Behind the chairs, a sofa sat against the wall in front of him. He wondered if this was what the office looked like when Ian had used it. Idly, Alex opened up one of the desk drawers, finding the keys to the drawers and filing cabinets. Getting up from the chair, he left the office and heard the door automatically lock behind him as he headed to his room. Alex checked the time and sighed as he realized that he had been here longer than he had intended. Quickly, he turned towards his closet and dug the legal documents and phones out from the pile of junk he had hid them under. He made his way back to the office and stood in front of the door, letting it scan his retina before pushing it open. Alex dumped the documents in a filing cabinet, put Yassen's phone in one of the desk drawers, and his personal phone in the drawer below it. He locked everything up in the office and left the house with Smithers' iPhone.

The ride back to the Royal & General was a little livelier as Alex watched the people around him hurry along. Perhaps to a Sunday brunch or a day at the park. His stomach grumbled at the thought of food. He hadn't eaten since yesterday evening and it was nearing lunch time now. Getting off the tube, Alex walked back into the bank where the receptionist directed him to the lift. The second the doors closed, the lift started moving towards the eleventh floor before Alex could press the button. Shrugging, he got off at his stop and made his way to the gadget master's office, knocking twice on the open door.

"Alex, dear boy! Come in! Door!" The door swung shut behind Alex and he sat down on the chair in front of Smithers' desk. "Now, I hear that you're going to be working with MI5. Our domestic counterparts are usually quite useless, if you ask me. I wouldn't trust their information or judgements much. But, no matter! I'll have you fitted out with enough gadgets to deal with anything that comes your way! Did you bring your iPhone?"

Alex nodded and slid the device over to the man, taking the five tranquilizer darts that were offered to him at the same time. "What kind of updates are you doing on it?"

"I've got quite a few things planned," Smithers beamed. "This is your work phone now so you should be carrying it at all times. At school, within reach at home, even into space! Although, I have to say that I never expected you to actually end up in space."

"Neither did I," Alex admitted. "Our prediction skills would have to be out of this world to anticipate that."

"Quite!" Smithers chuckled, putting three more darts into the phone and plugging the device into the computer before typing out some commands. "Now, these system updates are very versatile for you to use. In fact, I have just added another operating system in this device. One system has all the capabilities of a normal iPhone. That is the cover system. It is whatever you want other people to see."

Smithers unplugged the phone and slid it towards Alex. "But press and hold the home button for seven seconds." He followed the man's instructions and was surprised to see the whole display on the screen change. "That is MI6's system, pushed behind the cover system and hidden from everyone else. I've been working on this operating system since your first mission! I'm quite pleased with the result and you're the first person to use it! The home button is fingerprint sensitive and will unlock the device like other iPhones but only your prints can switch between the systems."

Alex spent the next half an hour learning how to use the MI6 system. With Smithers' guidance, he discovered how to search the mobile version of the MI6 database with his clearance level, use the map function to find his current location and look up the blueprints to any building in the database to help with navigation, and create different profiles for the cover system to display. The default profile was the one he would use the most. It was for times when he wasn't on a mission or when the mission required him to act as his civilian self like his current one did. Once the profile was set up in the MI6 system, the cover system would display a whole history of applications and activity to match the profile so that anyone looking at his phone would find nothing out of the ordinary.

"And before I forget! There's a couple more things about the phone. I've taken the liberty of putting in some contacts for you. I would recommend that you memorize the numbers in case you can't access this phone. Anyways, speed dial one will connect you to Mrs. Jones directly. Two will ring Mr. Morris. Three will put you in touch with me. And I understand that Joe Byrne gave you his direct line as well so that's speed dial four." Smithers paused and leaned in towards Alex, lowering his voice and giving him a pointed look, like he was sharing a secret. "Lastly, Ben Daniels wanted you to have a way of contacting him so that's speed dial five. He has your number too."

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise at this new information. "Ben wanted to keep in touch?"

"Of course, old chap! He cares about you, you know."

"But we've only worked together twice!" Alex exclaimed, nonplussed.

"Must be the Rider charm!" Smithers declared cheerfully before moving on. "Now, these speed dial numbers and the functions from your time in Berlin will work in both operating systems. Any calls you make or messages you send will be untraceable, except by us, and any communications with us won't show up in the cover system's history."

Alex nodded and pocketed the phone once again. "Do you have anything else for me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Smithers got up and lumbered over to a shelf. The man came back with a suitcase, gesturing for him to open it. Once he did, Alex saw a watch sitting on top of neatly folded clothes. There were several sets of jumpers, button down shirts, and trousers. A couple of dark suits were included, along with dress shoes. This was the wardrobe that a politician's son might have which was quite fitting for the next week that he would be at Downing Street. The only thing that didn't fit in with that image was the t-shirt and shorts for him to sleep in. It couldn't be a coincidence and it was a little unsettling to know that MI6 had even paid attention to the fact that he never wore pajamas, preferring to sleep in a t-shirt and shorts.

Done looking everything over, Alex paid attention to Smithers' explanation. "The watch has several useful features besides telling time. It hides some tools that make it somewhat like a Swiss army knife! Pressing the top left button will let you access the lock picks, diamond-edged blade, and flashlight. If you want to send a distress signal and activate the tracker, set the hour and minute hands to twelve and then press the top right button three times! Also, the watch is connected to the suitcase and all of these bulletproof clothes. It will vibrate to alert you every single time the suitcase is opened so you know when someone is going through your stuff! On the shirts, the top button is a smoke bomb and the bottom one is an explosive. They will only activate when they are disconnected from the shirt and you press the top right button on your watch twice. The bottom buttons are powerful enough to take out a small chunk of a door or a person's hand. Both types have a five second fuse so make sure you get out of range in that time! That's all for now, old chap!"

"Thanks, Mr. Smithers!" Alex said warmly, closing the suitcase and grabbing the handles as he got up.

"Anytime, m'boy! Don't do anything foolish and try to stay alive! You can come around for tea someday after your mission. I still have to make that up to you from last time!"

"I'll call to check if you or your hologram are in the country," Alex replied dryly as he left the office.

Smithers watched him leave, dropping the cheerful personality as soon as the door closed behind the boy and ran a hand through his hair. He worried about the teenager but wasn't about to let Alex see that. The child had been used in a horrifying manner and no one had been able to put a stop to it. All he could do was keep working on new gadgets for the boy, regardless of whether or not there was a mission in the works. It became something of an obsession for him, working endlessly on new designs for Alex and testing them much more thoroughly than he did for the other agents' stuff. He needed to be 200% sure that everything he gave the boy worked. Because that was the best he could do in his position to help the teen survive in a world that the boy should never have been involved in. At least, not at this age. And not as a result of blackmail. Even then, he never knew if he gave the boy the right tools. Every time the teen was on a mission, it was like he couldn't breathe until the latest disaster was stopped and he knew that Alex was still alive at the end of it.

A few months ago, after everything in Egypt, there had been hope that the last of the Rider family would lead a normal life. True, the boy had lost everything and would carry the mental and physical scars for the rest of his life. But there was a chance to be normal, away from the intelligence world. Disgusted with the kind of people he worked for, the kind that would use a _fourteen year old_ as a weapon, he had even made plans to retire. It made him feel ill that he was a part of ruining the boy's life and there was no point in staying with MI6 when the boy had managed to get out of the game, leaving him with no one else he wanted to protect that badly. Even as he was making plans, he had only stayed because he knew the Rider family and their luck.

John Rider had gotten out of deep cover and was promptly pulled back in for one last mission, only to be assassinated along with his wife a few months later by one of his best friends. Yes, he knew that Ash had betrayed the Riders. ASIS had been kind enough to share with MI6 the results of the mission Alex did for them. His heart ached for the betrayal that Alex had experienced on that assignment.

Ian Rider had gotten out of his mission in Cornwall, was so close to coming back home with the information they were looking for and coming back to Alex, but was assassinated by Yassen Gregorovich. Dead by the hand of John Rider's apprentice.

So, yes, he had stayed for a while. A year or two was his plan. Just in case the Rider luck got to Alex and pulled the boy back into the intelligence world. And it, perhaps inevitably, had done just that. Smithers heaved a sigh and went back to his work, vowing to keep doing everything he could to help Alex survive. He was not retiring until the teen did. And if the boy didn't retire, then he would keep making gadgets until he died. Smithers didn't think he could handle it if he outlived Alex and refused to even entertain the possibility.

 **A/N: The Clerkenwell and Hunt Syndicates are apparently real criminal organizations in London. Any information about them that I've written in this chapter came from Wikipedia and everything else after this will be made up.**

 **The "Christmas at Gunpoint" short story mentioned that Alex met Sahara a couple of years after the Christmas incident (no details for it) and that's around the time of this mission at Downing Street which is my take on what happened and how they met again.**

 **The "Tea with Smithers" short story ended up with Alex finding out that Jones had called Smithers away to Singapore on a last minute assignment so Alex had been talking to a hologram of Smithers the whole time. I'm not too sure about the timeline for when this happens. My best guess is after Crocodile Tears. Does anyone know for sure when this takes place?**

 **Thanks for reading! Please do follow/favorite/review the story! I would love to hear your thoughts! And I have no idea if the gadgets that I thought up in this chapter are technologically possible so if anyone does know enough about technology to tell if it's realistic, I would like to hear that too.**


	15. Christmas at Downing

**A/N: Spoiler alert for some of the short stories that were just released this year.**

 **aniseed flower: Thanks for another review! I love Smithers too. He's such an interesting character with a lot of potential. Haha this story is the first piece of creative writing I've done so I didn't really understand writer's block either until now. But it certainly isn't fun! xD**

 **jessieejey: Thank you so much for the review! That is very high praise! I'm glad that you love the story and that my writing was able to bring a smile to your face. I've always thought that the details are very important so I'm happy that the details I've included have added to the quality of the story for you. As I've never been to Germany, I hope that I haven't messed up any of the details of your country when I wrote the previous chapters. If I did, I would appreciate it very much if you told me. Anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy the story! By the way, your English is very good.**

 **Sorry about the very long update time! A lot has been going on at work so I haven't had as much time to write. And I've still got writer's block. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

A gentle knock on the mahogany door sounded, making Alex pause in the middle of his two hundredth press-up. He had woken up a couple of hours ago in the middle of a spacious guest bedroom, surrounded by sheets that were too soft and too silky on an unfamiliar queen-sized bed. The room that Sir Graham had put him in last night was comfortable, but too luxurious for his tastes. Even though Alex had slept soundly until the nightmares had caught up with him, the sharp contrast of his current room in comparison to K-Unit's hut at Brecon Beacons put him slightly on edge. It was like the more comfortable the accommodations outside of his own home, the more he expected something to happen. He supposed that, along with his nightmares, was why he had woken before dawn. Although, his biological clock was probably used to the military routine too. Since he was awake early with plenty of time to spare, Alex had decided to keep up his training and had either been meditating, practicing his katas, or working out. It didn't hurt that the exercises helped to keep his questions at bay either. With a groan, he pushed himself up, off the floor of the bedroom, and called out for the person to give him fifteen minutes.

Pulling back the thick curtains, he admired the picturesque view of the lawn and listened to the light pattering of rain, enjoying the brief calm that the morning brought. Alex padded silently over to the suitcase that was sitting atop a feather-soft rug on the hardwood floor and rifled through it to get ready for a hot shower, contemplating how he had ended up in another rich family's estate home. After the treatment he had received while posing as Sir David Friend's delinquent son for his Point Blanc mission, he wasn't looking forward to the rest of the week. Although the Adair family treated him well, dealing with rich and important people was not something he enjoyed. But this time, politics - another thing he didn't care for - was also involved which made it even worse. He could see why Treat had been so strict about giving him lectures on the subject though.

Thanks to those lessons, he had had the training to prepare properly in between lunch and dinner after he left Smithers' office. Going through news articles and MI6's database files on the politicians gave him enough research to have already identified potential conflicts within the government. He supposed that he would just have to see if his intuition was correct. His bet was on the leader of the Labour Party or the Democratic Unionists being problematic. In the meantime, Alex knew he had to tread lightly to avoid causing a political nightmare. The whole mission would be a careful balancing act of making friends with everyone while staying in the shadows to identify and prevent threats, preferably without anyone the wiser until he chose to reveal himself to the Prime Minister. Just thinking about the politics irritated him though, and Alex couldn't help but wonder what the mission for the Germans would have been like. It might have still involved politics, he thought wryly as the hot water ran down his bare back. But probably not discreet bodyguard duty in fancy suits.

However, this political headache wasn't the main thing he wanted his exercises to keep away from his mind. After Alex had finished his research for the mission, there had still been an hour left before he met the driver who took him to the Adair residence. He had used that time to read his own file - the unaltered version. Since he had never done any written reports for his missions, Alex wondered who had had the unfortunate task of doing his paperwork for him. Probably Jones or Crawley, he thought. His snorted to himself in amusement at the image of either of them scribbling or typing furiously to catch up with the mountains of paperwork that his missions had created, on top of their own paperwork. Even though he didn't write the reports, they were still very recognizable. After all, the reports on his twelve completed missions had been taken straight from his retelling of events during debriefings. Alex idly wondered which one of those missions had been discounted from the file that the SAS had received on him. He guessed it could have been Wimbledon. Crawley had asked him to do that one as a personal favor. At least, that was how it had appeared at the time. With his file including that as a mission though, he was almost positive that Blunt had ordered it to maneuver him in place to deal with Sarov. Then again, the excluded mission could just as easily have been the one where he went after Cray since Blunt and Jones had actually warned him away from that one. It didn't really matter though. Everything was, more or less, as he expected. Well, almost everything.

After he got back from his assignment in Point Blanc, Blunt and Jones had sent him on a short mission to Afghanistan that still made him feel uneasy. He had never quite been able to figure out the goal of that assignment and it was the only part of his file that he didn't have the clearance to see. Even more worrying to him, Alex had watched Blunt mark and stamp that mission as failed. Yet, it was marked as a success in his file. Ben's words in Berlin came back to him. _Only that you sometimes helped out MI6 and have an impressive 100% success rate._ The statement had slightly bothered him at the time but Alex hadn't been able to put a finger on why. Now, he knew. The heads of Special Operations had lied to him about the successfulness of that mission. Come to think of it, that was the only mission that Blunt had done any paperwork for his missions in front of him at all. It had been a show, a manipulation to hide the truth from him. But now, Jones had already given him access to just about everything else in MI6 so what was so important about this mission that he couldn't know? As much as he was burning to find the answers, Alex knew the issue would have to be dealt with after his week at Downing Street.

Exhaling loudly, Alex got out of the shower and shook himself out of his thoughts, mentally preparing to face the Adair family while drying himself and dressing for the day. As he was running late, he went down the stairs two at a time but took a moment to slow down as he walked into the Adairs' dining room. His breath caught when he saw a little boy, around six or seven years old, sitting between two familiar, tall men. Graham and James Adair. One was the grey-haired, second-most senior civil servant in an old-fashioned suit. The other was a senior lecturer at Imperial College who had curly brown hair with a beard and was wearing a white dress shirt and jeans. It was the first time that he was seeing the child.

"Good morning, Alex," Graham greeted with a warm smile. "Come eat with us. We were just about to have breakfast."

"Good morning, Sir Graham, Mr. Adair," Alex replied, nodding to each of the men but not taking his eyes off of the child.

"Just Graham," the older man chided gently as a reminder.

"And call me James," the younger man added.

Alex hesitated. Then, he repeated his greeting with their given names. After the MI6 driver had brought Alex to the civil servant's Wiltshire home last night, he was enthusiastically welcomed into the family and told to use everyone's first names. No titles were needed. Like Byrne, these men were older and in positions of power so it felt odd to be so informal with them. As he had a feeling that this would happen a lot, he supposed that he would just have to get used to it.

Satisfied with his response, James said earnestly, "Alex, I'd like you to meet my sons. Unfortunately, my younger one has the flu so he's at home with my wife right now. Hopefully, I can introduce you to him someday. But this is my seven year old, the elder one."

Alex walked over to them, smiling, and crouched down to talk to the boy. "Hey, my name is Alex. What's your name?"

The child looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Say hello to your Uncle Alex," James nudged the boy gently.

Alex snapped his head up to the men for a fraction of a second in surprise before looking back at the child, just in time for the small voice to answer shyly, "Hi, Uncle Alex. My name is John."

Even though Alex expected the name, his heart still clenched upon hearing it. Still, he kept a smile on his face and kept all of his focus on the boy in front of him. "That's a nice name, John. Do you know what it means?" The child shook his head emphatically. "It means that you are blessed. Lucky." He paused, causing the men to look at him concernedly, and then continued sombrely, "It's my father's name too and he was a very lucky man."

"I'm lucky?" John asked, a dimple forming as a slow smile spread across his face.

Alex nodded and grinned while confirming, "Of course you are." Then, he looked at the food on the table and, at the slight nod from the men when he silently asked for permission, cheerfully asked, "So, what does this lucky boy want for breakfast, John? Do you want this dry, whole grain toast?" The child shook his head with a scrunched up face and Alex continued listing the different foods on the table. Alex came up with vivid descriptions for each food he listed, making the boy laugh while shaking his head. Finally, Alex asked, "What about these fun, chocolatey Coco Pops?"

"Yeah!" John exclaimed, bouncing up and down in his seat.

Chuckling, Alex ruffled the boy's hair and told him to settle down, pouring some of the cereal and milk into a bowl. Once John was happily eating breakfast, Alex poured a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for himself and filled his own plate with eggs, bacon, and a slice of toast. Throughout all of this, he was acutely aware of the two men staring at him but only looked up to meet their gaze when he had finished filling his plate.

"You're okay with being John's uncle, right?" James babbled nervously. "I'm sorry…. I didn't mean to upset you. It's just that, with our family histories and all, I figured if anyone had that right, it would be you."

Alex was silent for a moment, taking the time to formulate an answer. "Not sure how safe it is to be associated with me but I guess I'm fine with being his uncle."

"Thank you," James breathed out in relief.

"And no need to worry about the safety," Graham added. "My position in the government makes them a target anyways. Having you as a part of the family won't change the security needed."

Alex nodded and the three of them fell silent, lost in their own memories on the matter as they listened to John playing with his food. They knew the risks all too well. James' hostage situation so many years ago on Albert Bridge was proof of that.

"You remind me of your father," Graham quietly remarked after awhile. "Not just because you're a spitting image of him either. John conducted himself in the same way – kind, totally in command, and completely at ease in every situation. And with all that you've done for the world... I can't imagine him being okay with you following in his footsteps so young but he'd be proud of you."

"You'd make a good father too," James added thoughtfully.

Alex shook his head, arching an eyebrow. "I don't think an educator is supposed to be encouraging teen pregnancies."

The men laughed and James amended, "Of course not. When you're older though…"

"Maybe," Alex said noncommittally. He was too young, and his future too uncertain, to even consider something that far ahead. Alex knew the consequences of his choice in continuing intelligence work meant that he would most likely die young. He couldn't even be sure that he would live to see twenty. Mentally forcing those bleak thoughts aside, Alex continued eating his breakfast and indulged John, ironically, in a game of "I Spy" while listening to the men's conversation about living at Downing Street for the week with the rest of the high ranking officials and their guests who had homes that were too far away for a daily commute back and forth from the government headquarters. The lower ranking ones and their guests would be staying at nearby hotels.

Half an hour later, they were ready to leave the grand Wiltshire estate after loading their suitcases into the boot and piling into a sleek Rolls-Royce for the two hour ride to Downing Street via the M4, the driver nodding his understanding of Sir Graham's instructions. The trip was uneventful, with John falling asleep and the men briefing Alex on the day's events, but he was nervous by the time they reached the foreboding gates of his country's government headquarters. Passing through security at the gate alone took about ten minutes but after that, everything happened in a blur. Suddenly, they were being ushered out of the vehicle and through the black door, into Number 10, while attendants came out to retrieve their suitcases. Before he knew it, the car had already driven out of sight and they were being led to a large, sparsely furnished room filled with murmuring government officials and their guests.

Alex grimaced inwardly as he stepped onto the Persian rug that covered most of the room's floor while Sir Graham leant down and quickly informed him in a whisper that they were in the Pillared State Drawing Room, the largest of the drawing rooms. Nodding at the civil servant, Alex felt a small hand tug on his trousers and smiled down at John. The boy was already holding James' hand but Alex obliged the child and held out a hand as well, scanning the room for faces and identifying the security measures in place as he did so. The security was more lax inside the building and he made a note of each security guard and camera's location, wondering if the place had been swept for listening devices. During his security scan, Alex picked out familiar faces from the sea of people in the room, recognizable from the news or MI6's files. There were even quite a few government officials that had been present when Alex had said his piece at the COBRA meeting about SCORPIA's Invisible Sword operation. He hoped that they had enough sense to not draw any attention to him. Then again, maybe revealing his identity was what the politicians would want. It was going to be a long and tense week for him. What had Jones been thinking? He was too recognizably associated with MI6 here. And not associated with government officials enough for this. To the right people, he'd stick out like a zebra amongst lions. Hopefully, he wouldn't end up like one. Across the room, his stomach became a pit of dread at the anticipated conversation to come as Alex spotted Sahara's pretty face with the telltale long black hair and blue eyes. He recognized the prime minister's family and Cameron Sands soon after.

A few minutes later, the prime minister cleared his throat at the front of the room, drawing Alex out of his thoughts as everyone fell silent. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming to join in on the festivities for the week. Christmas is in three days and I hope you will enjoy the holiday with us. As I'm sure you're all aware, this is for everyone to get to know each other better in a more relaxed environment. The goal is to promote friendly working relations and dispel any hard feelings towards each other that the previous administration had fostered within our government. That being said, there is still work to be done so meetings will be interspersed between all of the other planned activities. Any non-government officials will have that time to do as they wish during the meetings. As I speak, a schedule for the week is being passed around for you to look at."

Indeed, attendants were moving through the crowd of people to pass out schedules to everyone, which Alex accepted with a quiet "thank you". He did a cursory glance through it as he listened to the rest of the prime minister's speech. "For now, we will be starting the day off with a meeting in the Cabinet Room. As for everyone not in the meeting, I encourage you to socialize with each other and those of you staying the nights will be shown to your rooms momentarily."

With that, the prime minister stepped away, heading towards the Cabinet Room with the other government officials, and the guests returned to their murmured conversations. As Sir Graham had left them to follow the prime minister, James and Alex looked at each other, in silent askance of what to do, before the older man led the way towards a nearby family to introduce themselves and started discussing what they were looking forward to for the week. Soon, they were talking with several families while John played with the other children. Alex, for his part, had stayed in the vicinity of James as he struck up a conversation with the teenagers of various politicians. While he enjoyed talking to someone his own age for once, Alex was distinctly aware of how different he was from them. As he asked questions and joked around with the teens, he kept half an eye on John the whole time while cataloguing every face and interaction he saw, as well as every piece of information he received, at the back of his mind. All of it was an ongoing and never-ending security assessment, including the questions he asked the teens which were meant to steer the conversation to optimize his information gathering. From the answers he received, it seemed that his suspicions on the government officials' relations with each other were mostly confirmed.

Halfway through a conversation where a teen had just revealed that his parents often clashed with members of the Liberal Democrats, Alex saw Sahara, out of the corner of his eye, turn pale at the sight of him and run out of the drawing room with the prime minister's confused wife and daughter following her. Knowing he couldn't delay that confrontation any further, Alex muttered an agreement to the teen about how annoying political arguments could become and made his excuses, quickly informing James of where he was going before following the three females.

Walking at a brisk pace, Alex slipped through the crowd and soon found himself in an empty hallway, frowning down at his wrist as the watch vibrated to alert him of someone opening his suitcase. It was probably just the security team making sure that none of the guests had brought anything to pose a threat. Nevertheless, Alex made a mental note to check his suitcase. Pausing, he listened for any sign of where to go next and heard faint voices coming from behind a closed door not too far away. Alex thought it was the White State Drawing Room he remembered seeing on the blueprint that MI6 had on the building. Gathering his courage, he softly knocked on the door. The voices stopped and footsteps came towards him, the door opening to reveal the prime minister's wife.

"Hello, Mrs. Macmillan," he greeted amiably with a pleasant smile. Peering past the woman, Alex saw that Sahara and the prime minister's daughter were also present. "And Ms. Macmillan. I'm Alex Rider, a guest of Sir Graham Adair. May I speak with Sahara?"

The woman eyed him suspiciously but before she could question him, Sahara answered in a cold voice that made him cringe inwardly. "What do you want, Alex?"

"You know this boy?" Mrs. Macmillan and her daughter turned to ask stiffly at the same time, sensing Sahara's hostility. Alex took the opportunity to step into the room and close the door behind him.

"Yes," Sahara said shortly. "We went snowboarding together for a few days. Until I was kidnapped by some people who were after the information on Dad's laptop."

The prime minister's wife and daughter gasped at this.

"And you!" Sahara suddenly stalked towards Alex, eyes flashing and jabbing a finger into his chest with each word. "I signaled for you to _get help_! Instead, you followed us to the top of that mountain and stole Dad's laptop back from the kidnappers! Don't you even _dare_ deny it! I recognized your ski jacket. What were you thinking?! I saw those men go after you with _guns_ down that mountain. A black run that you said was too dangerous and refused to go down the day before no less! You could have _died_! In fact, after the laptop was returned to Dad, we never were told whether or not you'd survived so we assumed the worst! I spent the last _two years_ thinking you were dead! How did you get out of that?"

By the time she finished ranting at him, Sahara was breathing heavily and Alex twisted his lips in an ironic smile before offering an explanation, both of them ignoring the two wide-eyed, gaping occupants of the room. "It seems that some things run in the Rider family. Taking care of things ourselves is one of them. I never even thought to go to the police, just my uncle and your dad. Ian was nowhere to be found and your dad had already received da Silva's call about having taken you hostage by the time I reached him. So, I followed your dad to the top of that mountain. I made sure that the exchange was completed, that you were safe with your father, before I plucked that laptop out of da Silva's hands." Alex chuckled darkly. "As you saw from their pursuit and shooting that followed, it certainly made them go off-piste. We ended up on the edge of a lake and I was saved by the authorities. Your kidnappers were on thin ice when they showed up and you were gone by the time I made it back to the resort."

Sahara stared at him for a moment. Then, she attempted to scowl, but failed, and ended up trying to fight off a smile instead. Punching his arm lightly, she jokingly scolded, "You're absolutely horrible." A mischievous glint entered her eyes. "Did they fall into the lake?"

"Sahara!" Mrs. Macmillan reprimanded. But she was fighting off a smile as well while Alex and her daughter laughed, ruining the effect.

"What? It's a valid question," Sahara said innocently. None of them were fooled.

"I may have tricked one of them into it," Alex answered, glad for the friendly banter now that he had told her the truth. It was an edited version, without any direct mention of Ian's involvement, but it was the truth. And that was all that mattered to him. He hated lying to his friends.

They giggled at his response, even Mrs. Macmillan. Once they composed themselves enough to stop, Sahara said seriously, "I don't know if you knew what was on that laptop but Dad works in the Secretary of Defense office. I found out later that his hard drive contained classified information about an American agent working in the Middle East. It's why we had CIA agents with us that whole time. If you hadn't stolen his computer from those men, the information would have leaked and put so many lives in danger. Plus, it would have been a huge embarrassment to the United States government. So, thank you. And I'm so glad that you're alright."

"You're welcome, I guess," Alex shrugged nonchalantly. But in his mind, he was cursing Ian and MI6 for having him anywhere near that potential political disaster without informing him. Because, with this new information, Alex was certain that MI6 had sent Ian on a mission to Colorado to help ensure that the information did not fall into the wrong hands. It could have easily gone wrong. Like his poor timing in finding Ian and da Silva fighting over control of a gun. That had nearly gotten Ian shot. If he had made a single misstep, he could have derailed Ian's entire mission and put who knows how many lives at risk.

"Oh come on," the prime minister's daughter laughed. "You act like saving people's lives is something you do in your spare time."

Alex forced himself to grin playfully. Not that anyone could tell. The smile looked effortless to the three ladies. "Who knows, Ms. Macmillan? Maybe it is."

"In your dreams!" Sahara exclaimed at the same time as the prime minister's daughter wrinkled her nose and said, "Just call me Sophia. Ms. Macmillan makes me feel like I'm about to get in trouble at school."

"Get in trouble a lot, do we?" Alex smirked.

"Oh yes," Sophia nodded seriously, playing along. "All the time. I'm always late with my shirt untucked."

"Talking back to the teachers," Sahara joined in. "Unfinished homework."

"Playing pranks," Alex added.

"Distracting all the boys," Sophia finished off the list.

They cracked up at that, knowing that she went to an all-girls school. Mrs. Macmillan shook her head fondly at their antics. "Alright, that's enough," she interrupted. "It's time to return to the rest of our guests. We've spent long enough in here. Remember, Sophia, it is impolite for the hosts to be away from their guests for too long."

"Yes, mum," Sophia replied.

As they made their way out of the room, Mrs. Macmillan said, "And Alex, I believe the younger Adairs are being shown to their rooms right now. I will have someone do the same for you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Macmillan."

"Is your uncle staying with the Adairs too?" Sophia asked curiously as they entered the Pillared Stated Drawing Room once again, Mrs. Macmillan leaving them so she could entertain some guests and organize the next activity.

"He's dead," Alex said blankly. He didn't quite know how to feel about his uncle anymore.

"What?! How?! When?!" Sahara immediately rattled off, shocked.

"… I'm so sorry," Sophia apologized in the moment of silence that followed her friend's questions, biting her lip apprehensively. "I didn't know or I wouldn't have brought it up."

Alex waved her off. "It's fine. You have nothing to apologize for. Ian died over a year ago, a few months after Sahara's kidnapping. After the funeral, I saw what was left of his car…" he trailed off, shaking his head. Let them think it was an accident, Alex thought, unwilling to lie outright to the girls.

"Oh Alex," Sahara said sympathetically, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry. I know the two of you were close. It must have been so hard on you." Alex shrugged. "Wait, you told me your parents had died when you were younger too. So, who's looking after you now?"

"No one. I'm legally emancipated. Sometimes, family friends will invite me to spend a week or two with them though."

"Like the Adair family?" Sophia asked.

"Yeah," Alex nodded just as Mrs. Macmillan approached them again, butler in tow.

"Alex," she said. "Alfred will show you to your room now. Make sure to come back down in fifteen minutes though."

The slender man gestured for Alex to follow him. "This way, please."

As the butler led him silently to his guest bedroom on the third floor private residence, Alex caught glimpses of each of the rooms along the way and his sharp eyes took in every detail, memorizing everything. He knew the building had over a hundred rooms and, even though he could bring up the blueprints from memory, it wasn't the same as actually seeing each place. So, Alex filed all of it away in his mind but, before long, they reached his assigned bedroom.

"Here you are, Mr. Rider," the butler said briskly, gesturing at the room. "The Adair family has the two rooms on either side of you and the Prime Minister's family is at the other end of the corridor. If you need anything else, ring the bell and one of the staff will be with you shortly."

Alex barely finished nodding at the instructions before the butler turned sharply on his heel and hurried off to attend to something else. Shrugging to himself, he poked his head into the room to see that his suitcase was already placed by the four-poster bed. He did a quick check and was satisfied that nothing had been taken or added to his stuff before heading back downstairs to the drawing room, glad that he had paid enough attention to find his way back on his own.

" – hope you are ready for some competition!" Alex heard the prime minister say enthusiastically with a twinkle in his eyes as he slipped back into the drawing room, unnoticed by anyone else. "Because we are going to have a gingerbread house contest in the next few minutes! If everyone could split into teams of six and follow me, we'll get started in one of the conference rooms. Each member of the winning team will get a batch of sugar cookies for themselves. Have fun and may the best gingerbread house win!"

All around him, Alex could hear people chattering to each other excitedly and getting into their groups, brainstorming ideas as they went. He looked around and casually made his way over to where he spotted Sahara and Sophia. "Can I join your team?"

The girls jumped and turned around in shock. "Alex! You scared me," they said in unison. "When did you get here?"

"Sorry," Alex grinned sheepishly. "I just got back in time to hear we were making gingerbread houses. So... can I join you two?"

"Yes, of course," Sahara said, smiling at him. "Our parents are partnering up with the other adults."

"We still need three more people on our team," Sophia added as they followed the crowd. "Do you think Sir Graham and his family will join us?"

Alex shrugged. "I'm sure they'd be happy to."

As though of the same mind, the three of them squeezed through the crowd as one to approach the Adair family with Alex in the lead, carving out a clear path. When they reached the men, Alex tapped Sir Graham's shoulder while calling out to them. He had to remind himself to use the man's given name.

"Alex," Sir Graham greeted warmly. "I was wondering where you went off to!"

"Finding an old friend," Alex replied. "Graham and James, this is Sophia Macmillan and Sahara Sands. I just met Sophia today but I knew Sahara from a couple of years ago."

The men smiled at the girls and shook their hands while Alex complied with John's unspoken request to be picked up. "The prime minister's daughter and the American diplomat's family, correct?" Sir Graham asked.

"Yes, sir," Sophia answered politely, just as they reached the conference room that her father had led the crowd to. "We were wondering if you and your family would like to join us for the gingerbread house contest?"

"Of course!" James agreed readily. "That would be great. Any ideas for what you want to do yet?"

"A cabin in the middle of the woods!" Sahara exclaimed as they settled into one of the stations set up for the activity.

"And lots of chocolate and sprinkles!" Sophia added, reaching for one of the chocolates and popping it into her mouth.

"What about you, Alex?" Graham asked.

"A gingerbread family," Alex tossed out casually, having given it barely any thought. He was more concerned about the nearby foreign and defence secretaries who had been at the last COBRA meeting and were currently heading their way, eyeing him with undisguised interest.

"Sir Graham," the foreign secretary greeted upon reaching their station, prompting their group to fall silent. "Would you be able to spare a few minutes to talk with us after this contest?"

"Yes, of course," the senior civil servant replied. "We can use my office. Unless you want to talk in yours?"

"No, an office won't be necessary," the defence secretary said, never taking his eyes off of Alex the whole time. "We won't keep you from your family long. Although, I don't remember you having a teenage grandson, Graham."

"Ah…no, he isn't my grandson. This is Alex. Our families have been friends for many years and we consider him an uncle to John."

"Uncle?" the foreign secretary questioned.

Graham nodded. "Yes. A little young for it, I'll admit, but it fits."

"Rider, correct? Alex Rider?" the defence secretary asked with narrowed eyes. Graham and James exchanged anxiously helpless glances at the tone, sensing that the situation could take a turn for the worse but clueless on how to diffuse it, while the girls looked back and forth in confusion. John was oblivious to all of this, happily playing with the frosting that had been provided for the activity.

"Yes, sir," Alex answered respectfully. Not knowing what the man wanted and having no desire to cause a scene, he squashed the urge to be sarcastic.

The foreign and defence secretaries considered him for a moment. Then, the foreign secretary said, "Weren't you at the last COB - ?"

"Yes," Alex cut him off in a tight voice, briefly flicking his eyes over towards the girls and the child on his lap in an attempt to warn them off of mentioning any classified information. The men clearly recognized him so it was no use lying about it. But admitting it was also a risk as he had no idea if displaying reluctance of having his involvement with Invisible Sword made known to those outside of that meeting would make the men all the more eager to expose him.

"Hmm… I do hope you aren't still with Blunt and Jones," the defence secretary stated impassively.

"I don't have any family left but Graham was kind enough to invite me to spend Christmas with them," Alex answered the man's underlying questions lightly, relieved that they weren't going to blow his cover for now. He wasn't about to tell them that he was still working for MI6 though. After all, the purpose of giving him this specific mission was to have the Prime Minister be the first politician to be aware of his continued involvement on the intelligence agency's terms.

The two secretaries accepted his answer, nodding curtly. "Well, it was nice to meet all of you but we'd better be getting back to our own teams. Graham, we'll talk to you later."

"Yes, yes, later," Graham replied distractedly, still trying to get over how easily Alex had navigated through that interaction when he, with years of experience in dealing with politicians, had no idea what to do or say.

"Alex…," Sophia said slowly, drawing out his name with her brows furrowed. "That man said you were with some people, whatever their names are. Who were they?"

"The people you were with didn't… you know…. abuse you, did they?" Sahara asked concernedly, fidgeting uncomfortably with her sleeve.

"They were just temporary guardians. The distant type," Alex assured them, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile. Technically, it wasn't a lie. "Anyways, I think we should get back to building this gingerbread house. We've wasted a lot of time already. The other teams have already started!" Looking down at John, he gently poked the child in his side and asked, "What do you want to put on the gingerbread house?"

The child giggled, feeling ticklish when poked, and looked up at him with wide eyes, shyly asking, "Can we put a mummy dog and lots of puppies and make a house for them? And then have Santa take care of them? Please?"

Everyone chuckled. "Of course!" Alex agreed. "Want to help me make the puppies first?"

"YEAH!" John exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands.

Shifting the child onto another chair, the next two hours were spent building and decorating the gingerbread house, eating sweets as they put everything together. Halfway through, the girls exchanged mischievous glances and took some of the extra frosting into their hands, simultaneously swiping it onto each side of Alex's face. They, and everyone in the room who had noticed it, snickered at his indignant expression. With wide eyes, the girls' amusement was cut off when a glint appeared in his eyes, accompanied by a playful growl. Alex shot out of his seat and easily snagged both girls by the waist before they managed to run away, pushing them back into their chairs and smearing some frosting onto their faces in return. John giggled continuously at their antics and the Adair men shook their heads in amusement. Smirking at the girls' shocked expressions, Alex wiped the frosting off of his own face and calmly continued to help John with the decorating. After a while, the girls got over their surprise and followed suit so the rest of the time was spent working together to put the finishing touches on their creation, completing it just as the time was up. Each group presented their gingerbread houses at the front of the room and they all voted on the best one. Their team didn't win. The leader of the Labour Party, Liam Baster, and his team won the contest, looking smugly at everyone else while some of the younger kids from the other teams cried. It took ten minutes for Alex, the Adairs, and the girls to cheer up John. But once the child was calm again, the Adairs took John and left Alex to spend some of their free time with Sahara and Sophia.

Over the next few days, Alex developed a routine with the Adair family and the girls. Free time and scheduled activities alternated but Alex rarely left the girls' side. Sometimes, the Adair family and Cameron Sands would join them. Other times, they socialized with everyone else and, half the time, John would choose to follow Alex. One could often find the three teenagers and the child together. During free time, it was just the four of them, playing in the snow, people-watching while they talked, or making something in the basement's private kitchen. Also, surprisingly, the girls still had ballet practice on a couple of days and Alex had been allowed in for the sessions. Although, that was probably more because the girls wanted him to fulfill the male role of the duets which he learned quite quickly, if exasperatedly and lacking in technique.

However, even when they joined the other guests their age in the scheduled activities, which varied from decorating Christmas trees and baking to skating at an outdoor ice rink and visiting the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland fairground, the four of them were almost always together. To Alex, the assigned MI5 agents were quite conspicuously placed for these outdoor ventures and he made a mental note to tell Jones about it. After all, MI6 agents weren't much better, especially with their choice of clothing.

Much more discretely, Alex joined the agents in being on high alert, looking for anything out of the ordinary and keeping the girls within his line of sight at all times, knowing that those would be perfect opportunities for an attack to happen. Perhaps it was because of this hyper awareness that he was able to avoid every flash of a camera from capturing his face. All the same, Alex was glad his coat had a hood that completely covered his hair and the sides of his face, protecting him from the greedy journalists or overly curious civilians' attempts to take a photo of the high profile people he was currently with. Even more importantly, his elevated awareness at Hyde Park made his skin crawl as he crouched down to help John put on his mittens for the third time that day. It felt like someone was watching them.

No, someone was focused on _him_ specifically. That didn't make any sense. It was supposed to be Sophia that was in danger at the moment. Quickly, he ran through a mental list of people who might still be out for his blood. And came up with nothing. Everyone was either dead or MI6 just finished making deals for them to leave him alone. Although the attention didn't make him feel like he was in any imminent danger, Alex still had to force himself to appear relaxed as he scanned their surroundings. He was rewarded with a dark glint from the top of one of the buildings on the edge of the park, about two hundred meters away.

"Anyone want to take a look at some of the jewellery over there?" Alex asked the girls, pointing over to the only market stall with a mirror.

"Ooh yes, good eye!" Sophia exclaimed, bounding over to the seller enthusiastically. "I still have to get a gift for mum. This could be perfect!"

As the girls admired the jewellery, Alex kept John occupied with a shiny necklace, letting the child play with it while he pretended to look at a pair of opal earrings, occasionally adjusting the mirror for the girls to inspect their appearance, making sure to point the mirror just high enough for him to get a better look at whoever was watching him. What Alex saw in those brief glimpses did not reassure him. There was a man on the roof of that building with vaguely familiar features and a lot of surveillance equipment, Nikon binoculars trained on their group. Deciding to name the man Binoculars, he wracked his brains but couldn't figure out why the man was familiar. At least there wasn't a sniper rifle pointed at them. Yet.

Noticing that John had lost interest in the jewellery, Alex crouched down and asked, "Are you bored?"

"Yes," John pouted, face scrunched up into an adorable frown. Pointing to something in the distance, he stomped his foot while exclaiming, "I want to go on that loopy thing!"

Alex looked over to where the child was pointing and laughed, ruffling John's hair. "Sorry, kid. You won't be able to go on that roller coaster because you need to be big enough so you won't get hurt. Maybe when you're taller, they'll let you." John crossed his arms at this, lip trembling, so Alex consoled the child by hugging him and suggesting, "No, no, don't cry. We could go on the Wave Swinger over there instead. And there are plenty of other rides you could try."

John peeked over his shoulder at where Alex was gesturing and a small smile started to form before asking, "Promise?"

"Promise," Alex confirmed solemnly. "And I don't break my promises."

"Okay," John said happily. "Can we go on those rides now?"

Chuckling, Alex shook his head. "No, we need to wait for the girls. They'll be awhile though so, tell you what, we can play around with my phone while we wait. That way, we won't be bored."

"Where is it?" John asked.

Alex smiled and took his phone out of his pocket as he maneuvered the two of them further into the market stall, blocking anyone from seeing what he was doing. Unlocking the cover system with his fingerprint, he tapped on iTunes and turned the phone upside down while tapping on a few more settings to access the bug finder and listening device. A map showing a faint outline of his surroundings appeared on the screen. As did several clusters of bright red dots. Alex's stomach dropped. There were probably some bugs on the MI5 agents surrounding them so they could monitor the situation more easily. But the screen was showing way more dots than there were agents. Keeping an easy smile on his face for John, he tapped a few more settings so that different frequencies from the bugs would show different colours. Grimacing inwardly at the red, green, yellow, and blue dots, Alex fiddled around some more with the settings and put in an earbud, saying brightly, "Look at all the colours, John! Do you want to play with this?"

John nodded, clapping his hands and laughing delightedly at the different colours moving around.

"Alright, listen carefully then," Alex instructed. "If you tap these buttons here on the screen, all the colours disappear. These buttons will make one colour appear. And if you play around with these ones, you can make one of the other colours show up. Or all of them! Got it?"

"Yeah! Can I try now?" John asked. "Please?"

Chuckling, he handed his phone, still upside down, to the child. As John became engrossed in playing around with the different colours, Alex watched the dots and matched them to the people surrounding them, appearing bored and unconcerned to the casual onlooker. However, on the inside, he was tense. The blue dots seemed to match up to the MI5 agents but, compared to the rest of the dots, were very few. The majority were the red dots and those were on all kinds of adults. The gender, wealth, race, and age didn't seem to matter. And then, there were the yellow and green dots. There were only two of each. A yellow on the leader of the Labour Party and a green on the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party. Those had a corresponding dot that matched Binoculars. In fact, the man had a red dot too.

While he matched up the dots to the people, Alex kept an eye on the girls and used the listening device to tune into different conversations, occasionally tapping the screen to hone in on specific people. There were no suspicious conversations to be heard though. Only inane chatter or things that he would really rather not repeat. Satisfied that nothing was happening at the moment, Alex put away his phone and earbuds when the girls finished buying some jewellery for themselves and their mothers.

The rest of the day was spent going on rides, like he promised John, and playing games. Even though there didn't seem to be an immediate attack, Alex noted that they were followed by both MI5 agents and everyone he assumed to be Binoculars' people. As a precaution, Alex handed John over to the girls to take care of, keeping all of them within arm's reach so that he would be ready if they were attacked. Thankfully, nothing did happen and John was peacefully sleeping in his arms as they left Hyde Park to return to Downing Street.

Christmas and Boxing Day passed uneventfully, making Alex feel melancholy about Jack's absence but a little more normal with the lack of action. Even with sending reports to Jones and Barker every night, it didn't feel like a mission anymore. Just a good time spending the holidays with friends. And over these few days, Alex spent so much time with the girls that Mrs. Macmillan had warmed up enough towards him that she invited Alex to join them for their family's daily afternoon tea during free time. Because of this, even the Prime Minister became familiar enough with him that he was encouraged to play a few games of snooker with the politician and some other government officials every night, after the girls went to sleep. The first time this happened though, Alex got a sense that the Prime Minister was testing him. For what, he didn't know until the man frustratedly asked him outright what his intentions with Sophia were. Alex burst out laughing at this. It took him a full minute before he recovered enough to inform the protective father that he had only met Sophia because they were both friends with Sahara. In short, he had no intentions with Sophia. He was acutely aware that he left out the fact that Sophia was his mission. However, after hearing his response, the Prime Minister grinned sheepishly and apologized for the assumption. From then on, the rest of their conversations were much more relaxed and light-hearted.

On Friday night, after Boxing Day, the Prime Minister decided to switch things up a bit. Instead of their nightly snooker games after the girls had gone to sleep, Alex was playing Truth or Dare with the politicians. The rules were that anyone who doesn't want to answer a question honestly or doesn't want to do the dare has to drink a shot of whiskey as a punishment. Alex, being clearly underage, would substitute with a spoonful of hot sauce. He didn't mind the hot sauce. It wasn't even a punishment like the men thought it would be. Growing up with Ian meant that he got used to different cuisines, including spicy ones. However, what he did mind was the amount of drinking involved. Normally, this wouldn't have bothered Alex much but with the threat against the Prime Minister, it made him uneasy. Still, Alex went along with the game to keep watch over the men and avoid raising any suspicions. The only comfort he had was the brief look of concern that Graham sent his way. At least there was one person, besides him, who was aware of the dangers of being intoxicated at the moment.

Two hours into the game, Alex had completed five dares and told the one truth that the politicians had ribbed him into choosing. The hot sauce remained untouched while the men became drunker by the minute and provided Alex with plenty of amusing blackmail material. Some of the photos he managed to take of the government officials were quite risqué and others were just plain embarrassing.

"What secret have you kept from your parents?" someone yelled out in answer to the Prime Minister's choice of truth on the man's seventh turn.

Alex smirked to himself. This could get interesting.

"There was this one night," the Prime Minister slurred. "I was fifteen, maybe sixteen. Snuck outta the house after me parents went to bed so I could go to a party with me girlfriend. We broke up a few days later…. But 'twas late at night. So dark I couldn'a seen anythin'. On the way out, I grabbed a bottle o' rum to take to the party but tripped. Stuck out me hand tha' was holdin' the bottle - "

The story was cut off by a chorus of drunken laughter as the Prime Minister enthusiastically re-enacted the events, resulting in the man's arm hitting a box of neon pink hair dye that was leftover from a dare, knocking it off the table and onto himself. Alex snorted and took out his phone to snap some pictures of the shirtless Prime Minister who had just accidentally dyed his own chest hair an obnoxious colour.

"Look a' this!" the Prime Minister exclaimed, struggling in his reduced coordination to put the box upright on the table again. "Wonder if me wife will like it!"

As Graham was the only person besides Alex who wasn't inebriated, the civil servant shook his head with a grin and called out, "So what happened after you tripped?"

"Oh yes!" the man said, a spark of recognition for the interrupted storytelling evident in his eyes. "The bottle broke on the grass in the yard an' tha' was when I knew it wasn't a bottle o' rum but me mum's fav'rite Ming vase! Me mum still thinks 'twas the dog that broke it!"

The men roared with laughter at this until one of them decided out loud that the dye was a pretty colour and should be used to redecorate the room. With the exception of Graham, the rest of the men agreed and Alex could only watch in mild horror as the men started smearing the dye all over the walls, resembling stumbling toddlers in art class. Sighing, Alex decided that the politicians were getting too crazy in their inebriated state and needed some help in sobering up fast. He took one last picture of the men's drunken antics and gestured for Graham to do some damage control. Then, Alex strolled out of the third floor private residence's living room and down towards the private kitchen in the basement to grab a couple jugs of cold water, passing by numerous offices, conference rooms, reception halls, and sitting and dining rooms.

Somewhere along the first floor corridor, two things happened simultaneously. Alex felt his watch vibrate, indicating that someone was going through his suitcase, and four burly men with concealed guns were being led into the building by a nervous Liam Baster. Of course this was happening at, what was possibly, the worst moment, Alex thought sarcastically. His mission objectives were not only two floors away but, one of them was drunk out of his mind. And he was still in a dark suit - dress shoes and all. None of which were ideal for running or fighting. Cursing and sighing inwardly, he darted into the nearest room - an office - to listen to the intruders' footsteps as he used his phone's x-ray function to get an idea of everyone's position in the building while recording the politician's conversation, planning his next moves. If there was anything that his previous missions had taught him, it was that he needed to always provide concrete evidence for anyone to even consider backing him up, particularly when his accusations involved the rich and powerful.

" – on the third floor," Baster whispered to the men. "The guards' shift change is happening right now so you have ten minutes before the new guards realize anything is wrong. Remember, I'll send the second installment to your bosses once you succeed in kidnapping the Prime Minister's family and the last insta - "

Baster whimpered as he was cut off, his body slamming into the wall.

"Listen here, Baster," one of the intruders snarled quietly. "You're not in charge anymore. Oh, you'll still send us the money for this job. But once we help put you in power, you're going to do what _the Hunt Syndicate_ says. Or else, your family is going to find themselves in a _very_ small cell with the big boss' hunting dogs. Are we clear?"

"But - "

Alex heard the harsh sound of a knife being unsheathed. "I said, are we clear?"

"Yes," came the faintly whispered reply.

"Good. Now stay out of our way." A body crumpled to the floor with a thud and was dragged off to be hidden somewhere. "Let's go. He'll come around in a few hours. Kill the target if, by some miracle, there aren't any witnesses. We'll take the girl first, so her parents don't try anything. Take her little friends too if you can. The boss is particularly interested in those two boys."

The last bit made Alex raise an eyebrow in puzzlement but there was no time to dwell on it. The men's voices faded as they traveled farther away from his position, bringing the kidnappers closer to the Prime Minister and his family with each step. As soon as they were out of earshot, Alex sprang into action. He made a beeline for the desk and hastily shoved a letter opener into the bottom of his shoes, sent the recording of Baster's conversation to Jones and Barker, and turned on the distress signal to let the trackers in his phone _and_ his watch inform the intelligence agencies of his location. All of this took him less than half a minute but they were seconds that he feared would be the difference between life and death for the Prime Minister and his family, not to mention John and Sahara.

Finished with the necessary preparations, Alex practically flew down the stairs to the kitchen and grabbed two jugs of icy cold water, snagging a kitchen knife and cooking pan as he went. Then, he raced up the stairs using a shortcut he remembered from the blueprints and burst into the third floor living room. Alex wasted no time in dumping a jug of water over the Prime Minister's head. The man spluttered indignantly as the rest of the politicians just laughed at what they thought was a joke.

"Wha - ?!"

"It's Baster. No time to explain," Alex snapped, handing the other jug and the kitchen knife to a wide-eyed and open-mouthed Graham. Then, he yelled over his shoulder while sprinting towards the girls' bedrooms, "Make sure he drinks that water to help sober up! Barricade yourselves until the all clear is given but run if you need to! Knife is for last resort self-defence!"

"Bloody hell," Graham muttered after a few moments, collecting himself enough to follow the boy's orders. He yanked the Prime Minister towards a hiding place, wondering if the other politicians could be trusted or if some of the others were in on Baster's plan.

Before Alex even reached Sophia's room, he already knew it was too late to prevent the kidnapping. There was a single scream from the girl's room and two more followed, one from Sahara and one from John. For a moment, Alex panicked, a million thoughts racing around in his mind. Sophia, Sahara, or John first? In fact, why was John in Alex's room and not in James'? The x-ray had shown a much larger person than John going through his suitcase so what happened in that time frame?

But the next second, it didn't matter which one he chose first because Mrs. Macmillan and James both rushed out of their rooms to see what was going on, terror for their children plainly evident. Their questions would delay him further. To cut down on the amount of time wasted, Alex shoved the cooking pan into James' hand and quickly rapped out, "James, take Mrs. Macmillan, barricade yourselves until the all clear is given, and explain what's going on to her! Be careful of Baster and use that pan to hit someone if you need to! I'll get them back! I promise!"

"But, Alex - " James protested.

He ignored the man in favor of dashing towards the window in his room. The kidnappers were just closing the back doors of an unmarked, black van. Soon, they would be driving away and he would have no way of reaching them. He was three floors from the pavement. At least seven or eight meters to fall. He might break his legs.

Alex threw open the window and took a few steps back, taking a running leap through the opening and twisting his body so that he landed shoulder first, smoothly rolling into a crouch. He could already feel the massive bruise on his shoulder forming and hoped he hadn't broken anything. Sprinting after the vehicle that had just started to pull away, Alex took another jump and balanced himself on the van's back ledge, holding on tight to the back door handles.

 **A/N: I don't know how I came up with the whole idea of Alex being an uncle to John. It kind of just happened while I was on lunch break at work. xD**

 **For John and Alex's conversation in the beginning of the chapter, the meaning of the name John is that God has been gracious or has shown favour. Hence, Alex telling John that he was a lucky child. The name Ian has a similar meaning. Ironic, since Alex and his father (probably uncle too) are both described as having the luck of the devil. The meaning of the name Alex is defender/protector or helper of mankind which fits Alex perfectly, in my opinion.**

 **With Sabina and Sahara, it seems that Alex tends to make friends with girls whose names start with "S" and end in "A" so I decided to continue that trend with Sophia.**

 **Even though, according to this story, two elections have taken place since the COBRA meeting in the Scorpia book, I'm assuming that some of those government officials from that meeting are still around. Just may not be in the same positions anymore. I don't know much about British politics but it looks like the foreign and defence secretaries could technically still have the same person in those positions even with elections changing the government? They usually seem to change with the election though. Please correct me if I'm wrong!**

 **Anyways, let me know what you think! Please do follow, favorite, and/or review the story!**

 **Happy holidays to all my readers and all the best in the new year! I swear I didn't plan for this chapter, taking place during Christmas week, to be released so soon after Christmas. xD**


	16. Family Business

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed the story since last time!**

 **aniseed flower: Thank you for another review! I'm so happy that you loved the last chapter and the other characters I added into the story! It felt like a bit of a risk to add John and Sophia since we have never seen them in the books before so I must be doing something right if you like them! xD And lol coming up with how Alex uses the tech took a while too since I discard ideas like crazy until I get to one that makes logical sense to me. It's great to hear that you enjoy the little details like this that I stress over so much! Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to churn out chapters every two weeks anymore, like in the beginning, even if I did spend all my time writing for you guys. The chapters seem to get longer and more complicated each time! xD**

 **CuteFishy: Thanks for the review! I don't remember if I replied to your previous review from Chapter 12 but I'm happy that you love the story so much that you're still following it! It warms my heart to know that the effort I spend in researching, writing, and tweaking the story to be as realistic and close to the books as possible is appreciated by my readers and makes the story better.**

 **With writer's block and a bunch of stuff going on at work, the writing has been slow going. It's been about half a year since I last updated this story so, hopefully, you're all still interested in it. Anyways, enjoy! Also, spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't read the short stories yet.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Alex Rider.**

Wind whistled past Alex, numbing his skin, as he strained his muscles to hold onto the van while memorizing the route they were taking. He should have grabbed his jacket. The frosty air chilled him to the bone and made his eyes water. Shivering, Alex hoped he wouldn't catch a cold. He could almost hear Jack and Ian scolding him for not taking better care of himself.

How much time had passed? Five minutes? Ten? He wasn't sure he could hold on much longer. Every bump in the road threatened to dislodge him. His arms and legs burned with the effort of staying on the thin ledge while crouching low enough to not be seen through the back window. His dress shoes weren't helping him stay on either. And with the letter opener he had shoved into his shoe earlier, the sole of his foot was sure to have a bruise too. But if he gave in and fell now, at this speed, he would be as good as dead. Or, if he was lucky, severely bruised and cut up with a few broken bones. He couldn't afford either of those. Not with John and the girls' lives on the line. Gritting his teeth, Alex renewed his efforts to hang on and carefully adjusted his position. At least there were very few vehicles on the road at this time of night.

Muscles screaming in protest, the van finally stopped just as Alex feared his grip would fail. He checked his watch. Twenty-five minutes. They were in the docks in Canning Town, on London's East End. Interesting location, he thought as he silently got off the van, careful to remain crouched and out of view. He was lucky that he was positioned in such a way that the moonlight didn't cast a shadow to give away his presence. From Treat's politics lessons, he remembered that the Labour Party, and Baster by extension, had the majority vote in this area. It was also one of the Hunt Syndicate's territories - the founding location - if he recalled MI6's files correctly. A convenient place for smuggling and trafficking operations. That couldn't be a coincidence.

The driver cut the engine, doors opening and slamming shut a second later. Heavy footsteps approached on both sides and Alex flattened his back against the rear doors of the van. There was nowhere to hide. So, straining his ears, he listened for the pair of footsteps that would reach him first.

Turning towards his right, Alex popped up and grabbed the nearest kidnapper by the shoulders, pulling the man off balance, towards himself. Then, he continued pulling as he turned his body, pushing at the last second, so that the man was sent crashing into the two men on Alex's left. His foot connected with the temple of the remaining gang member on his right at the same time. The man dropped like a brick but Alex wasted no time in celebrating that fact. Instinctively, he dodged a punch but tightened his stomach muscles to lessen the damage as he deliberately let the next hit fall there. Still, he doubled over. Partially from the impact, partially to keep up an act. Before he could straighten up, Alex felt his arm being twisted behind him, forcing him down. He winced as his knees hit the hard concrete. There would definitely be bruises there. Defiantly, Alex raised his head to glare at the man in front of him, only to find a gun pointed in between his eyes. He swallowed thickly.

"You!" the gunman exclaimed. After a pause where he looked at his unconscious accomplice, he snarled, "That's my brother! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now!"

Well, that was just bloody fantastic, Alex thought. Family bonds meant a high probability of much more motivated revenge schemes. Outwardly, he raised an eyebrow and calmly replied, "You kidnapped my friends. How about we call it even?"

The gunman growled but, before either of them could do anything, another cold voice rang out. "If you pull that trigger, I'll finish off your brother."

They all turned towards the direction of the voice, the gunman reluctantly lowering his weapon and snapping to attention with the rest of his team. To Alex's surprise and immense relief, it was Binoculars, with his own gun pointed at the unconscious man in preparation of carrying out his threat. Based on the supposed interest of their boss, Alex had taken a chance in attacking the men without using the tranquilizer darts or his full training. He wanted to be captured so that he could stay with his friends and there was no use in having either act tip them off that he wasn't a normal schoolboy. For now, it seemed that his gamble had paid off.

As Binoculars approached them, Alex got a better look at the vaguely familiar man. Binoculars had fair hair like himself, blue eyes, and pale skin. There was something about the man's facial bone structure that seemed almost delicate while being quite handsome and reminded Alex of someone that he couldn't place. Once the man reached them, he surveyed the damage to his men that Alex had wrought. Addressing his men, Binoculars sneered, "At ease. Evidently, your team is incompetent if a teenager has managed to get past your defences. I've warned Commander David that you've been getting sloppy and overconfident but he didn't listen. Perhaps, this time, he will take my advice and demote your team." Then, he turned his attention to Alex, narrowing his eyes. "Although, there is something special about this boy. Alex, isn't it?"

Alex widened his eyes. "How did you know my name?" With the number of bugs that he had found earlier that week, Alex expected them to know some information about him. The schoolboy with political connections that he was currently playing, however, would be surprised and afraid.

"We have people everywhere. One of our specialties is information," Binoculars answered proudly before turning back to the other men and instructing, "Tie him up and lock him away with the others. I'll be back to deal with them after I report this to the higher ups."

With that, Binoculars strode off and Alex was roughly tied up with some rope. Then, the men threw open the van's back doors and pulled their captives out. John and the girls were frighteningly pale, eyes darting everywhere for an escape. When they caught sight of him, Alex tried to give them a reassuring smile but it didn't have any effect. He didn't blame them. They were probably in shock and scared out of their minds. Especially John.

Once they were all out, the men yanked them into a warehouse, past several sorting and packing stations with the finished canned goods stacked onto wooden pallets, and up into a second floor office that would allow managers to oversee the workers down below during normal operation hours. The gang members left the office with a slam of the door but Alex could hear them on the other side, staying to make sure they wouldn't escape. Alex let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and examined John and the girls properly while trying to discretely undo his bonds enough to make a move if necessary.

"Is everyone okay?" Alex asked softly. All three of them nodded. "Good. Don't worry too much. We'll get out of this."

"How can you _say_ that?!" Sahara burst out, stalking up to him just as he managed to loosen up his bonds enough to slip out if it came down to it. She probably would have been poking his chest again to emphasize her words if her hands hadn't been bound behind her back. "We've just been _kidnapped_ , from _Downing Street_ of all places! And how _stupid_ could you be?! You could have been _safe_ with everyone else! But what do you do instead?! You come after us and get yourself kidnapped as well! Don't shake your head at me like you know better!"

"Sahara," Alex said placatingly while crouching down to dig around in his shoe, feeling warmth blossom somewhere in his chest at how much she cared. "You know I can take care of myself. Remember the last time you were kidnapped?"

"Of course, I do!" she exclaimed indignantly, as if she could ever forget.

"Then, trust me, we'll get out of this. You just have to play along and do as I tell you when the time comes. I promise."

Both girls looked at him doubtfully while John started to shake uncontrollably. "How can you be so certain and calm about all this?" Sophia asked.

"Because I've been here before and I know what I'm capable of," Alex replied grimly. Then, he smiled in satisfaction as he managed to get the letter opener out of his shoe. Before the girls could question him further, Alex walked over to the three of them and did his best to tuck John into his side while still having his hands tied up behind his back. It calmed the boy down a little bit and Alex kissed the top of the child's head before continuing in a low voice, "Sahara, come around and stand back to back with me. I want you to take this letter opener while I loosen up your ropes. Sophia, talk to John."

The girls complied with his instructions and, within a minute, Alex had them switch places. Another minute later, Sophia's ropes were loosened too. "Don't let anyone know that the ropes have been tampered with, alright? Sophia, look after John. And Sahara, hide the letter opener and use it to defend yourself if you need to, okay?"

"But - "

"No buts," Alex interrupted firmly. "When it comes down to it, would you rather stab someone or die without a fight?" Seeing Sahara's expression, he sighed and explained gently, "I know you don't want to and don't think you can do it. That's okay. I hope you don't need to use it either but it's there, just in case. It's better to have options, right?"

Sahara took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Okay… I think I can do that."

"Do you want to switch with Sophia?"

The girls looked at each other for a long moment. Then, they simultaneously answered, "No."

Alex nodded. He had expected as much. Out of the two of them, Sahara was better suited to the task he had given her. There was a certain spark and impulsiveness that Sophia just didn't have. Instead, the other girl was calmer and more logical but tended to take the time to think first. The girls balanced each other out. "Okay, stick to your roles and follow my lead then."

"Are the bad guys going to hurt us?" John finally asked shakily in a small voice, lips trembling as he tried to put on a brave face.

Crouching down, Alex looked John in the eyes. "No, I won't let them. We'll be okay."

"Promise?" came the small voice.

Alex smiled. "Promise. And I don't break my promises, do I?" He'd rather die than break this promise to the child.

John finally relaxed as he was reminded of their fun day at Hyde Park. "Okay."

"Well, isn't this just touching," Binoculars drawled as he slammed the door open.

Alex straightened up immediately and placed himself in front of the girls and his young charge, glaring at the man. "What do you want with us?"

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" Binoculars asked. "This will be even more interesting than I first thought. But to answer your question, we were hired by Liam Baster to use whatever means necessary in forcing our _dear_ current Prime Minister to step down, leaving the position open for his taking. Interfering with elections through threats, blackmail, and having our more "upstanding" members launch propaganda campaigns to convince the citizens to vote for Baster in the fallout is just the beginning. Although, that leader from the Democratic Unionist Party is being a pain. Haven't been able to convince her to show some support for Baster yet. Might have to kill off that bitch. And unfortunately for you, Baster wanted the girls kidnapped so that the Prime Minister would agree to resign."

"Charming," Alex said sarcastically while the girls went pale, swallowing audibly at the announcement. "We'll be getting a dictatorship soon with the way Baster is going. What's in it for you?"

"Money," the man simply replied. "And power. This gives us plenty of blackmail material to use against Baster. It'll be much easier to influence and control the direction of policies and laws made so that it benefits our businesses."

"For your sake, I hope you're prepared to deal with the resulting protests," Alex replied in a deadpan voice.

Binoculars chuckled. "You know, you remind me of an aunt I once had. She had fair hair and quite the fiery personality too. But very kind and understanding at the same time. When everyone else in my family was angry or disappointed in me, as they always were, I could count on her to listen to me. It didn't matter how much I screwed up. She would listen, offer some advice for me to think over, and give me a hug. Patch me up if I needed it too. I was always welcome to stay with her. But one day, she just disappeared and left me alone to deal with my family. I don't know where she went but I wish she had taken me with her," Binoculars finished up wistfully.

"So she can see you kidnapping children?" Alex snorted derisively. "Can't imagine she'd be happy about that."

"No, she wouldn't be," Binoculars conceded. "But she would still listen to my side of the story which is more than I can say for anyone else. I've tried to find someone as kind as my aunt but I never did. At least, not until that day at Hyde Park when I saw how you were with little John here. There was something in your expression, in the way you moved, that was exactly how my aunt would care for me. It was intriguing to see and made me realize that, if I wanted to talk to you, I had to take the child."

Alex wanted to scream. The Adair family had been in his life for a week and John was already in danger just by being associated with him. He felt his jaw clench and gently nudged the curious boy behind him so that John was out of sight, the girls shooting him uncertain glances. It didn't escape the man's notice.

"See, this is why you remind me of my aunt! The child is no relation of yours. You are but an orphan yourself! So why do you care so much?"

"It's called being a decent human. Maybe you should try it sometime."

Shaking his head, Binoculars barked out a bitter laugh. "Why should I when no one else is as decent? I know that I am not what others would consider a good person but I'm glad for that. They're hypocrites anyways. Not being so bloody _good_ has saved my life. With my way, I have a stable job, plenty of money, and people that respect me." He paused, considering his next words. "You know, you could have that too. School life hasn't exactly been going well for you in the last year or so. You even moved to America for a little while! Seeing as you're back, it looks like that didn't go too well either. Wouldn't you want to be accepted by your classmates once again?"

"Who wouldn't?" Alex retorted, still playing the role of an affluent schoolboy with connections, while internally clamping down on the panic that arose. It seemed that Binoculars had been busy digging into his life, the last thing that he wanted anyone to do. Although, the thing that calmed him down quickly was the fact that the man didn't seem to know anything about his work with MI6 yet. Putting some fear in his voice, he continued asking, "And how do you know anything about my school life?!"

"Like I said, our specialty is information," Binoculars smirked. "Well, that, among many other things. The Hunt Syndicate is the most powerful criminal organization in the London area. We could help you get ahead in life. The rumours at your school indicate that you haven't been around much and come back injured all the time. Abuse, perhaps? Our organization could help you put a stop to that." The man paused, considering Alex. "You know, at first, I just wanted to talk to you. But, it seems that you have potential. Following your friends without being detected? That takes some skill and determination. Fighting off four men and managing to down one of them? Quite brave of you. Reckless, which we'll have to train you out of, but brave. And your combat skills are good for a schoolboy too. Still needs work but you've clearly had some training. Yes, I think it would be beneficial to both you and the organization. Of course, the commanders will have to approve it but what do you say to joining the Hunt Syndicate?"

Alex stared at the man. What was it with criminals wanting him to join them? Well, at least the gang's attention was on him instead of his friends. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I'd rather be abused and face my school's judgement than harm innocents."

"So much like my aunt," Binoculars sighed. "I suppose I should have expected it. That part of your personality is what drew my attention in the first place. But, you know, getting involved with us doesn't have to mean that you harm innocents. Like I said, our specialty is information. You could just help us gather that information and, in return, we can help you get away from whoever is abusing you. We'll provide you with tutors to help you get ahead in school too! You're no use to anyone uneducated anyways. Also, with the reason for your absences eliminated and an improved academic record, you'd be accepted by your school again."

He could just help them gather information? Now, where had he heard that one before, Alex thought sarcastically. To him, it was way overused. Blunt and SCORPIA had promised him the same thing. It never did turn out that way. However, a normal schoolboy wouldn't know all this. In fact, an abused outcast would see this as the perfect way to improve their life without compromising much on morals. In the silence that Binoculars had given him to think over the offer, Alex schooled his features to flit from adamant refusal to thoughtful to uncertain, before finally settling on cautious agreement. He asked slowly, "What would happen if I joined?"

"What?!" Sahara screeched, attempting to kick at Alex from behind. "You're just going to betray us all?! Just like that?! You coward!"

"Quiet!" Binoculars commanded as Alex turned his head to conceal his face from the gang and shot the girls a warning look. "Or I'll put a bullet in one of your legs."

The girls stilled and Sophia pulled John behind her while Sahara silently fumed. Turning back to the man, Alex shouted with a deliberately wavering voice, "Don't you dare hurt any of them!"

"Or what?" Binoculars sneered. "You're in no position to bargain. How does it feel to be powerless, hmm?"

Alex bowed his head, shoulders slumping in a show of defeat while his mind raced through the possibilities. As far as he could see, Binoculars was serious about wanting him to join the Hunt Syndicate. It would provide him with a good opportunity to gain information on the inner workings of the crime organization which would fulfill his secondary mission objective. After all, "joining" the other side was a tactic that had worked with SCORPIA and Sicherheit. But how safe would his friends be without him to keep an eye on things? He supposed that would depend on how badly Binoculars wanted him to join. Based on the emotional attachment that the man had developed from his personality resemblance to the man's aunt alone, Alex was fairly sure he could keep his friends unharmed for at least a little while longer. Hopefully, his distress signal was actually doing some good and the intelligence agencies hadn't just decided to ignore it. In addition, with his command of the kidnapping team, Binoculars clearly had some power. But not quite at the top since the man still had to report to the higher ups earlier, one of which Alex assumed was the Commander David that had been mentioned. Probably David Hunt, the leader of the Hunt Syndicate. The other thing that caught his attention was the use of "Commander" and the way that the kidnapping team had saluted Binoculars, almost like they were in the military. It gave him confidence that the gang members were disciplined enough to actually follow orders. So, best case scenario, he could convince Binoculars to give the order to keep the gang away from his friends. At least until backup arrived. If the intelligence agencies had decided to ignore his distress call, perhaps he could keep them safe long enough for him to obtain the information and get them out of this place himself. Coming to this conclusion within a few seconds, Alex raised his head again and quietly asked, "Is that how you always felt without your aunt? Powerless because no one would listen?"

The man sighed wistfully. "Perceptive. My aunt always knew just what to say to get to the heart of the matter too. You'd do well in an information gathering role."

Licking his lips nervously, Alex asked, "If I agree to join you, the Hunt Syndicate, will you leave my friends alone? Will you make sure they remain unharmed?"

Binoculars considered him for a long moment before his expression softened slightly. "Yes, I think that can be done. As long as you cooperate, I will make sure your little friends are safe." Gesturing sharply to his kidnapping team, the man instructed, "Untie Alex. He will be coming with me to meet the commanders for approval. If a _hair_ on any of these three is harmed, the offender will be kneecapped. Your team is capable of this much at least, yeah?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good. I expect to find them in excellent condition when I return then. Alex, come with me."

Having tightened the bonds again to avoid raising suspicion just before they promptly untied him, Alex hurried to comply with Binocular's command, only sparing a backward warning glance at the girls. Sahara was still glaring but Sophia only looked at him dubiously. Their anger and distrust couldn't be helped. Although, he hoped that Sophia would be able to figure out the broad strokes of what he was trying to do. Otherwise, he was going to have trouble when it came time to free them.

Leading Alex down the stairs and out of the warehouse, Binoculars gave him an idea of what to expect. "The commanders demand respect so don't go giving them lip. You'll be punished for it and, trust me, it won't be pretty for you."

"Why do they have a rank of Commander? They're aren't military, are they?"

Binoculars beamed, pleased at his interest. "No, but the whole idea of our organization is based on the way an army operates. I'll let the higher ups explain more about that because I don't have the authority to reveal it without permission from them. But I'll tell you this. We don't have as many different ranks as a proper army. The Commanders are the highest ranking in our organization. That would be the Hunt family. Next are the Lieutenants, like me. After that, there are the Officers, like those men that kidnapped your friends. The Lieutenants and the Officers come from all types of different backgrounds and mostly carry out the spying and information gathering. All of us know, or have some idea of, what the true nature of our organization is, not just the front that we put up for the rest of the world. Everyone else in our organization are just assets. We make sure they only know enough to carry out their orders. Nothing more, nothing less. There's not much variety in their backgrounds either."

"You're proud to be a Lieutenant," Alex observed as they passed by another warehouse and some cranes. Then, he added bitterly under his breath, "Must be nice to be so high up in the organization."

Catching his words like Alex had intended, Binoculars nodded understandingly. "Yes, I am proud of my rank. It took a long time and a lot of hard work to get here. You can achieve it too. And then, you'll practically have the world at your fingertips. No one would ignore or spread rumours about you again."

"What did you have to do to be promoted to Lieutenant?"

"Offed my whole family as an initiation test to get accepted into the organization and then completed years of successful assignments for the commanders. The assignments nearly got me killed more often than not. I've got several scars to show for it too," the man answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you think my initiation test is going to be?" Alex asked, peering up at Binoculars warily as they weaved through a few ships in the dry docks that were in the middle of repairs.

The man shrugged. "Not sure. If you get approved, it could be anything. Depends on what tasks the commanders think you'll be good for."

"And if I don't get approved?"

Binoculars was silent for a moment. Then, he said quietly, "You'll be killed and I'll be punished for my decision to bring you in."

Alex grimaced inwardly but didn't get a chance to reply as they had stopped at a sleek, white yacht with guards stationed at the perimeters. Looking up at it, he could easily imagine the watercraft holding up to forty rooms with a swimming pool and theater room to boot. There were three decks - a lower, main, and upper. He'd probably get lost if he tried to navigate through the yacht himself. As it was, one of those guards waved them on and Alex followed his guide through the yacht and into the lounge on the main deck where thirteen people, clearly siblings, were gathered. Binoculars saluted and stood at attention, nudging for Alex to do the same. It was only after he clumsily followed suit that the tallest of the siblings spoke.

"Lieutenant, why have you brought a child to us?"

"Sir," Binoculars answered respectfully. "This boy managed to follow the children we kidnapped and knock out one of our men in a fight against a full unit. We are always on the lookout for new recruits and he has potential. I have been watching him for a week and believe the boy would do well in our organization."

All attention turned towards Alex, re-assessing their opinions. The oldest brother narrowed his eyes and said, "You may be right about that if the boy was a few years older. He is too much of a liability right now."

"Sir, with the right training to cultivate his existing skills, the boy would be a great asset to us."

"Or he would become a great asset to law enforcement," one of the sisters countered. "Considering his apparent political connections."

"I think that depends on training," another sister commented. "Especially in this boy's case. He is still young enough that we could mould him into whatever we like."

"Come here, boy," the tallest of the siblings commanded.

Hunching his shoulders a little bit and bowing his head slightly, Alex walked forward warily, heart pounding. The only thought running through his head while listening to the commanders debate his usefulness and allegiance was that he was going to be shot if they found him lacking. His body would probably never be found.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Alex."

"Sir," the man snapped. "You will call me sir or Commander. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

A beat of silence passed. "Good. Obedient, at least. My name is David Hunt and these are my brothers and sisters, who run the Hunt Syndicate with me. Most people out on the streets call me Davey or Long Fella though. Usually, only my most trusted subordinates will even know that the rank of Commander exists in our organization. Make no mistake, Alex. I do not trust you. Now, why do you want to join us?"

"I want the abuse to stop, sir. Because God knows the government isn't going to do squat to stop it."

The siblings nodded slowly. "Not unreasonable," the oldest one said. "What has our Lieutenant told you so far?"

Alex looked back at Binoculars nervously. He took it as permission to answer honestly when the man shrugged at him. "He told me you're the biggest criminal organization in the London area and you were planning on doing everything you can to make Baster the next prime minister."

"Yes, that would be the general idea," David agreed. "What most people don't know is that, instead of just being allies, our organization actually owns the Clerkenwell Syndicate. Think of it as a parent-subsidiary business relationship. Although, one where only the top dogs of the Clerkenwell Syndicate know that they are under our control. That way, no one has enough information to leak anything to the authorities unless they are high up in the command chain. We have sufficiently... insured ourselves against any betrayals there. It's worked quite well so far. And as two of the largest organizations in the area, it doesn't take much for word to get around to us that Baster was looking for someone to do a big job."

"Operation London Star began when we set Baster up to approach us with the job of forcing our current prime minister to resign from his post," the oldest brother took over. "To ensure his win in the emergency election we're inducing, we've blackmailed, bribed, and threatened anyone that has some influence. Politicians, police officers, figurehead protesters. You get the idea. For the citizens, we've launched several campaigns to plant the idea of voting for Baster in people's minds. Some of these are even subliminal messages. It's been going on for months so, as you can imagine, our campaigns have quite a bit of influence. Of course, there will always be people who resist. If they are important enough to the outcome, what do you think we do to them?"

"Kill them, sir," Alex answered quietly, stomach clenching at the scale of the operation. While Binoculars had given him the general plan, the details that he was hearing now emphasized how important it was that he succeed in his mission. Otherwise, their whole government could collapse.

"Yes," came the reply. "That is exactly what happens. We had researchers develop a new poison to use against any key opposition in this operation. It's odourless and tasteless – undetectable. All it needs is someone to slip it into the target's food or drink and then the target's insides will start liquefying. There was only just enough made for the ones we anticipated the need to poison before we killed off the researchers. No witnesses, you understand. So, you see, we can't afford to waste any of it. Do you think you could carry out that task without failing even once?"

Muscles stiffening and closing his eyes, Alex focused his thoughts on the people he had killed on his missions, flitting through them in seconds. He let each memory wash over him until he felt the same determination that had driven him in those moments. Then, he opened his eyes. "Yes."

"Hmm... interesting," David deliberated. "I think a little test is in order. Follow me. You too, Lieutenant."

As Alex was lead out of the lounge, he saw the siblings exchange smirks in his peripheral vision while Binoculars eyed his commanders uncertainly. Ice settled in his stomach with the realization that, whatever David had planned, it was probably gruesome and he might not make it out alive. Still, he followed the tall man down to a room below deck. No, it wasn't a room. It was a brig of sorts with eight dogs behind locked prison bars, growling menacingly at the sight of them. Feral eyes tracked their every move.

"Do you know what breed these are?" David asked.

"No," Alex replied. "But I suspect you'll tell me."

Binoculars shot him a warning look as annoyance flashed across the commander's face.

"Norwegian elkhounds," David continued, as if he hadn't been interrupted. "They are hunters of large game. And while they tend to have a friendly disposition, they gain weight rapidly so must not be overfed and my habit of starving them until their next hunt has turned them into something quite wild. Of course, their meals consisting mostly of human flesh might have something to do with it too."

Alex stared at the commander as Binoculars paled at the implications.

"Yes," David said, lips curling in amusement at their reactions. "My hounds help me get rid of bodies without leaving a trace of evidence. You see, my siblings and I have always been fascinated with myths and legends. We were especially interested in the Wild Hunt. And not just because of our surname. The idea of being feared and respected, of being unseen as we worked, was enticing. So, our organization was founded on certain aspects of the Wild Hunt. Things like military rankings, death if our members try to leave, and keeping our activities hidden so no one has enough evidence to blame us for anything. Any of our members who try to leave us are burned alive. We have a cremation business to cover these up. But, besides any assassinations we might do, anyone else I want to kill off are given to my hounds. Either solely for the body to be disposed of or eaten alive. Now, I don't want to kill you off. But I do want to see how well you would do in the field. So, you are going to be locked inside that prison cell with my hounds for the rest of the night. And since my Lieutenant was so hasty in bringing you into the fold and seems to be fond of you, his punishment will be to personally put you in that cell himself. If you die, that's no loss to me and it will serve as a reminder to everyone, like my Lieutenant, that children are liabilities. If you live, then I will welcome you into the Hunt Syndicate with open arms."

Looking at each other warily, Alex and Binoculars grimaced. "Sorry, kid," Binoculars said before striding forward to throw Alex into the cell, locking it once again.

" _Árás!_ " David ordered. (Attack!)

Immediately, the hounds howled in glee and pounced. Alex jumped at the last second to avoid their teeth, making three of the dogs crash into each other. Desperately, he ducked another hound's snapping jaws as he pressed the top left button on his watch to take out the hidden flashlight and diamond-edged blade that Smithers had put in, thankful that the dogs were concealing his movements and that his clothes were made to withstand bullets when a hound bit his shoulder. Even so, the force behind the teeth exerted enough pressure to make him cry out in pain.

"See you in the morning, Alex," the commander smirked as he sauntered back up to the lounge.

"This is my fault," Binoculars said regretfully as he watched Alex shouting at the hound and struggling to throw it off. "Maybe this time, I'll actually learn that everything good I touch ends in some way or another. And don't bother trying to control the hounds with commands. They only respond to Icelandic. Even that is only when Commander David gives the order. I doubt you'll make it out of this alive. Goodbye, Alex. It was good to meet you."

With that, Binoculars turned away and followed his commander back up, leaving Alex to the hunting hounds. As soon as the man was out of sight, he shone the flashlight into the hounds' eyes, blinding them momentarily to give himself enough time to jump out of their jaws' reach. Latching onto the prison bars, he swiftly climbed his way up to the top, which was made more difficult by the pain from the bites he had sustained so far. Even though the skin hadn't been punctured, the strain of using his feet and one arm to keep supporting himself into a horizontal position at the top made the nastiest bruises he'd ever experienced very apparent to him while the hounds barked and pawed at the bars. The strain on his body, the fear of being eaten alive. It was like the crocodiles all over again. Except this time, he knew how to save himself.

With his free hand, Alex put away the flashlight and pulled his phone out of his pocket, taking aim. Within seconds, three of the hounds were put to sleep and the remaining ones were worked into a frenzy at the sight of their unconscious companions, leaping in an attempt to get at him. Reloading the phone twice more, Alex put the rest of the hounds to sleep as well before dropping back down to the ground. He had used up all of his tranquilizer darts and hoped that he wouldn't need any more tonight. If he did need more, he would just have to get creative. Better take more drastic measures with the gang members than do it to the hounds that didn't have a choice, Alex thought as he used the lock picks concealed in his watch to break out of the cell. As soon as he was out, he made sure to lock up so the hounds couldn't escape when they woke up. Then, he stilled, listening for any sign that someone had been alerted to his escape.

Hearing none, Alex searched the other rooms, diamond-edged blade clutched tightly in one hand. The first few rooms held nothing much of interest. Just supplies to keep the yacht well-stocked and running smoothly, including sleeping areas for the crew and a kitchen for the chef. None of these were occupied. However, the next few rooms were locked. He made short work of them with the lock picks and found that they were mostly offices and a weapons room. Quickly rifling through the rooms, Alex snatched up anything that seemed useful. A blueprint, some research notes on the poison, and a pocket calendar went into the waistband of his trousers, settled against his back. He chose a fully loaded Sig Sauer P365 to replace the blade in his hand. Small enough to hide, but it had a ten-round capacity which should be plenty to defend himself with at the moment.

Towards the last few rooms, Alex found the poisons. In fact, it was a roomful of different hazardous substances and he recognized many of them from his training with SCORPIA. Hesitating for a moment, he shrugged and stuffed a few vials of poison that he recognized into one of Smithers' special hidden pockets in his dress pants. Then, he turned towards the new poisons that the Hunt Syndicate had the researchers develop. Alex decided to keep two of those vials too. Whether it was for evidence, research, or future personal use, he wasn't quite sure yet. The rest needed to be destroyed. It only took him a few seconds to figure out a plan.

When Alex left the room, he went back to the supplies and pulled on a uniform to make himself less conspicuous. Then, he went back to the brig and put life jackets on each of the hounds, loading them up into a large bucket. Melting into the shadows, he crept up to the main deck to hear that the siblings were still on board and ducked into an empty cabin, gently lowering the bucket into the water through a window and checking the positions of the perimeter guards. There were four of them facing the docks instead of towards the yacht, just as expected - two at the middle where Alex and Binoculars had boarded and one at each end of the watercraft. The two at the end were switching off with their replacements, clearly at the end of their shifts and distracted by their own conversation. Perfect. Swiftly exiting the cabin, Alex tucked the Sig Sauer away, ripped off the top button of his dress shirt and pressed the top right button on his watch, timing the five second fuse. Trusting that the uniform and apparent confidence would identify him as an employee and delay their responses, he walked down the plank towards the middle guards. Alex tossed the button their way, just as they started to turn towards him, and surged forward to knock both of them out as soon as they were engulfed in smoke. At the same time, the yacht exploded, taking care of the end guards and killing anyone inside. He knew no one inside the yacht could have survived an explosion of that magnitude.

Alex hissed as flaming debris struck him between his shoulder blades and he immediately rolled on the ground to put it out before too much damage could be done. Grimacing while he gingerly dusted himself off, Alex supposed he only had himself to blame for these burns. Before leaving the poisons room, he had ripped off the bottom button of his dress shirt and strategically placed several flammable substances around it, pouring bunker fuel over everything for good measure. He knew that there was a chance he'd be caught in the explosion as well but took the risk anyways. It provided his escape, destroyed the poisons, and took out the Hunt Syndicate's leadership. And he was still alive. Overall, not a bad job in meeting his objectives.

Looking towards the water, Alex was reassured that the hounds were still alive so focused on getting back to John and the girls. The explosion would have drawn attention and alerted the other gang members that something was wrong which meant he was running out of time. Following the mental map that Binoculars' tour had created, Alex pulled out the gun again, ducked out of sight of the gang members who were running towards the destroyed yacht, and darted through the maze of warehouses until he was back at the one that held his friends. He kept to the shadows and slipped in, closing his eyes to listen for any sign of more gang members. The four kidnappers - the one he had knocked unconscious had clearly woken now - were still stationed outside the offices, arguing about whether or not to just kill their hostages and get out of the country, but Alex didn't detect anyone else's presence. Just as he was considering the best method to take out the kidnappers, one of them yelled out their decision in anger and yanked open the office door. Alex didn't think. He shot four times and four bodies hit the ground, each with a bullet through the heart.

Sprinting up to the office, Alex sighed in relief when he saw John and the girls sitting on a couple of chairs in front of the desk. They seemed to be alright, if a little panicked.

"UNCLE ALEX!" John cried, running to him before the girls could stop the child. "You're okay! I was so scared!"

"Hey, buddy. It's okay," Alex said softly as he pulled John into a hug to comfort the boy while using the diamond-edged blade to cut through the child's bonds. "Anyone hurt?"

"No," Sophia shook her head warily.

"Good. Now, toss those ropes and let's get out of here!"

"And why should we trust you?!" Sahara shouted defiantly even as Sophia followed his instructions. "You joined up with a bunch of criminals! You just _shot_ those people!"

"Sahara, there's something called acting and self-defence," Alex replied tightly. "Do you want to get out of here or not? Cause we don't have time for explanations and your yelling is going to attract the gang's attention."

"Fine," Sahara glared at him before slipping out of her bonds. "Only because Sophia seems to think it's a good idea for now."

"Wait," Sophia called out as they started towards the door. "We heard the kidnappers talking outside and there's some more hostages in the next door office."

Alex swore in his head, mindful of John's presence, and closed his eyes briefly. "Okay, just in case there's trouble, stay in here while I free the other hostages so that you aren't in the immediate line of fire. Sahara, now would be a good time to keep that letter opener ready in your hand."

Without waiting for a response, Alex rushed over to the other office and tried the door. It was locked. Hoping no one was too close to the other side of the door, he kicked it in to find a mother and her ten year old child bound and gagged, tears streaming down their faces in fear.

"It's okay," he told them in a soothing voice. "I'm going to free you but we're going to have to run. Can I come closer?"

The mother nodded nervously. Striding over to them, Alex took the gags out of their mouths first, introduced himself, and asked for their names as he cut their bonds.

"Melanie Baster," the mother whispered in answer to his question. "And this is my son. Please, those people, they injected us with something when they kidnapped us tonight. They said it was a tracker."

Alex froze for a second and heaved a sigh. Baster's family hadn't attended any of the activities in the last week so, clearly, the protection around them wasn't as strong as it would have been and they were now being used as an insurance policy to make Baster cooperate. Brilliant. He had two more important people to protect. "Okay, let's get both of you out of here first, Mrs. Baster. We can deal with the tracker later. Stay behind me."

Cautiously exiting the office, Alex made sure the coast was clear before beckoning for his friends and Baster's family to come out. Everyone, except Alex, blanched at the four dead bodies and carefully skirted them, looking sick. However, just as they were descending the stairs, a pair of German shepherds bounded into the warehouse, barking constantly as they headed straight for them with teeth bared. Cursing softly, Alex herded his charges back up. They couldn't go down. The dogs would tear them apart. In addition, the gang members would not be far behind the guard dogs so barricading themselves in the office was out of the question. But there were six large pallets of canned fish pushed together down below, a few feet away from the railing. He darted into the rooms and collected the chairs from both offices while yelling, "Climb onto the railing and jump! Aim for that pallet!"

" What?!" Sophia exclaimed just as Mrs. Baster fearfully shouted, "Are you crazy?!"

"Just do it! Unless you want to be bitten! I'll slow them down!"

Alex threw a chair at the dogs before they could reach the foot of the stairs, scattering and forcing them back to buy some time. The German shepherds kept approaching them after dodging the chair, but more careful now, and Baster's son was the first to follow his directions. The boy scrambled onto the railing with all the reckless bravery that could only belong to a child of his age and jumped before his mother could grab him. Terrified for her child, Mrs. Baster did the same as Alex threw another chair at the dogs. A moment later, Sahara jumped as well but Sophia was frozen with fear and John was too small to make it on his own.

"Sophia, you have to jump!" Alex yelled, chucking another chair even further than the last one to drive the dogs back.

"I can't! I won't make it!" Sophia shouted, eyes wild and shaking her head.

Making a split second decision, Alex shoved the last chair into Sophia's hands. "You trusted me in your ballet sessions to do the overhead lift. Do you trust me now?" he said hurriedly. She nodded hesitantly. "Okay, I'll jump with John and I want you to throw the chair as hard as you can at the same time. Then, I want you to jump. I'll catch you."

"Okay," she replied shakily.

Immediately, Alex swooped John into his arms and leaped over the railing, using a hand to pivot as he controlled his fall. He sank low into his crouch when he landed, minimizing the impact, and handed John over to Sahara. Turning to face Sophia, he called up to her. "Your turn!"

Unsteadily, Sophia climbed onto the railing and jumped. The terror on her face turned to relief when he caught her and she sagged against him. But he had no time to comfort her or anyone else. While the dogs could no longer reach them, the gang members could as they had finally reached the warehouse. The four men instantly looked in the direction of their dogs' gaze as they barked at Alex and his charges. Even though they were bewildered by their targets' position, the men never faltered as unskilled, small time criminals might. They wasted no time in pointing their guns at them but Alex was faster. In the next second, the gang members were dead, much like their comrades at the top of the stairs, and the dogs howled but kept their distance. While there was a brief respite from the immediate danger, Alex only had two more bullets left and felt a wave of despair overcome him as he heard more people fast approaching, the sound of the gunshots having drawn their attention.

"Lie flat on your stomachs as close to the middle as possible," Alex instructed everyone, trying to exude a calm that he didn't feel. "It'll make you a smaller target for them to hit at this height. And stay quiet no matter what happens."

"Since you got us this far," Sahara muttered reluctantly as they obeyed him.

Ignoring her comment, Alex followed his own advice and lay on his stomach too. However, rather than laying in the middle of the pallet, he was in the prone shooting position at the edge. A second later, he felt a little bit of hope rise in him. He could still hear a lot of footsteps approaching but heavy gunfire and shouting had started. That only meant one thing. Someone was attacking the Hunt Syndicate. Likely the intelligence agencies, considering the night's kidnappings, but he couldn't be absolutely certain. In any case, it bought them some more time.

Soon, a group of gang members burst into the warehouse. Some were wounded and Alex drew back a little. After checking to see if the coast was clear, they scrambled for cover between other pallets of canned goods and the machinery, trying to stem the flow of blood with makeshift bandages. It didn't take long for their attackers to catch up to them. Alex nearly let out a sigh of relief as he recognized Agent Williams from the Sicherheit mission and an MI5 operative that had been at Downing Street the whole week among the attackers cautiously entering the warehouse. The first shot came from one of the gang members. That was all it took for the warehouse to be turned into a battlefield. Gunshots sounded all around them. Sometimes there was a break, sometimes he wondered if it would ever end. When some of them ran out of ammunition, they turned to grabbing anything as a weapon or fighting with their hands.

Still, Alex lie in wait. He didn't want to waste those last two bullets or give away their position. If that happened, there was no way he would be able to shield five people all at once. It was only when some new gang members entered the warehouse, about to kill off the outnumbered MI5 operative, that he fired once. As soon as he pulled the trigger, Alex moved back further towards the middle of the pallets without checking to see if he hit his target. He already knew he did. Listening to his surroundings, there was a pause before the fight resumed and he gathered that the intelligence agents were bolstered by the conclusion both sides had come to. That there was a sniper on the intelligence side. But just as he had predicted, the shot had given away his position and one of the gang members slipped through enough to go up the stairs.

"Stay down," he hissed to the others, shooting the last bullet as he got to his feet. It was time for him to move. He didn't want to endanger the politicians' families. Hopefully, the gang members would think he had been the only person atop the pallets. Jumping off and knocking a gang member down, he was pulled into the battle as soon as he hit the ground. Somehow, Alex ended up fighting three gang members simultaneously. Individually, they were well trained for a local gang but, as a group, they were unorganized and lacked cohesion. It was a short but challenging match.

No sooner had Alex downed the last man and mentally thanked the SAS for their training, a bullet slammed into the middle of his lower back. He gasped for breath in pain and collapsed to the floor, pretending to be dead so the gang members wouldn't start taking head shots. Ash had made that mistake in Mdina and Alex wasn't going to repeat it. He was just glad that the shot had hit low enough for the remaining part of his intact bulletproof dress shirt to protect him from the worst even if there would be a nasty, deep bruise where he'd been hit. Closing his eyes, he listened to the fight and heard footsteps coming towards him.

"You did this," he heard Binoculars say disbelievingly. "You – a schoolboy – escaped Commander David's personal hellhounds, killed off the whole Hunt family, and destroyed the poison. HOW?!" The last word wasn't so much shouted as screamed. "Decades of hard work gone in an instant because of you!"

Behind his eyelids, Alex sensed Binoculars raising a gun. Without waiting, he rolled to his feet, dodging the bullet at the same time, and managed to disarm his attacker before the man recovered from his shock. Still, the lieutenant reacted faster than he was expecting and Alex cried out as his right arm was smashed hard enough against the machinery that he could feel the bone fracture, possibly break. The gun clattered to the floor. Kicking out at Binoculars to keep the weapon out of reach, he sent the man toppling into the pack of German shepherds that had joined the battle sometime ago. Alex looked away as Binoculars met the same fate that David Hunt had intended for him earlier that night. He was pleased to see that the intelligence agents had rounded up most of the gang members and the battle was drawing to a close.

"Rider!" Agent Williams called out, walking to him, as some others subdued the dogs and salvaged the mangled body in the process. "Good to see you're still alive. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Might have broken something though," Alex replied, gesturing to his right arm.

Williams grimaced and clapped him on the shoulder, making Alex fight a wince. "We'll get you to St. Dominic's soon then. Good work tonight, by the way! That was you shooting up there, right?"

Alex nodded.

"You saved my life with that shot," the MI5 agent strolled up beside him. "I guess I owe you one."

Shaking his head, Alex said, "No problem. You would have done the same for me. At least, I hope so."

"Of course I would! Sworn to protect the country and all that. I'll admit, I thought you'd get yourself killed, throwing yourself into the fight like that. But you're clearly trained. You could come work for us when you're older." The agent grinned and held out a hand to him. "Gary Cooper, MI5 liaison to MI6 and GCHQ. If you ever need a favor, just ask."

"Alex Rider. Technically MI6," Alex shook Cooper's hand.

"MI6? Technically? How old are you?!"

"It's complicated," Alex grimaced. "Anyways, we should probably get the hostages back to Downing Street, right?"

The men nodded so Alex called out to the girls. After assuring them that it was safe to come out, explaining who everyone was, and instructing them in what was happening next, he helped get the politicians' families down from the pallets. Just as the last person came down, Alex saw two black cars pull up in front of the warehouse. Mrs. Jones and Barker got out of their respective vehicles. He sighed and the girls had to pry John away with his promises that the child would see him again. Then, Alex trudged over to the heads of the intelligence agencies. Wordlessly reaching into the back of his waistband, he pulled out the documents from the yacht and handed them to Mrs. Jones.

Accepting his offering, Jones said quietly, "When we got the distress signal, I had Smithers hack into your phone again to listen and record everything. This plot, Operation London Star, targeting the Prime Minister was much worse than we anticipated. We had some difficulty calling in enough people to deal with the situation here, and at Downing Street, on such short notice."

"What about the other MI5 operatives that have been at Downing Street all week?" Alex asked.

A flash of annoyance crossed Barker's face. "Most of my agents decided to drink tonight and were easily knocked out by the Hunt Syndicate. That's why you were on your own. They'll be fired in the morning. You did well," Barker told him reluctantly.

"I hear your arm needs medical attention though. And those burns don't look too good either," Mrs. Jones pursed her lips as Barker went to give out orders for the rest of the agents. "Go wait by that car. Williams will drive you to St. Dominic's to get those looked at. Baster's wife and child will follow in another vehicle to get their trackers safely removed as well so don't think you're being tailed by an enemy. After you are discharged, I will be debriefing you in the Prime Minister's office. The analysts need to go through these documents before we have a better picture and the Prime Minister should hear what has been going on."

Alex nodded and reached into his hidden pocket. Pulling out one vial of the new poison, he held it out and said, "Your analysts might want to take a look at this to see if they can create an antidote. I destroyed the rest but kept this sample, just in case."

She took the vial from him. "Thank you, Alex. Was the explosion necessary though?" Jones said blandly.

He shrugged. "I don't know enough about it to tell if it can be destroyed some other way."

"Very well. More lessons are in order then. Anything else we need to know before you go to the hospital?"

"The elkhounds. I sedated them and put them in a bucket before setting off the explosions. They're still floating around the water somewhere. You should probably keep them sedated until they can be safely contained and trained to be less aggressive. They only listen to Icelandic commands."

Jones nodded. "I'll have them found. Go wait for Williams."

Alex walked over to the car that Jones had pointed out to him. Leaning against the vehicle, he tiredly watched the agents clean up the operation but still paid attention. He was sure that, someday, he might be required to do the same and take care of the loose ends. Sensing John and the girls approaching, Alex looked up and waited for the girls to speak as he stroked the child's hair. John had wrapped his arms around, and buried his head in, Alex's leg.

"So...you're a spy," Sahara started nervously, pacing back and forth. "And I accused you of betraying everyone when all you were trying to do was protect us. I feel so stupid now! I was a complete bitch to you. Stop smiling! Why aren't you angry? You've saved my life twice now and I'm supposed to be your friend but I jumped to conclusions and thought the worst of you!"

Alex laughed, relieved that they were taking the news well. "Relax, Sahara. It does sting a bit but I suppose it's not exactly unexpected. After all, it's my job to deceive."

"Well, your job sucks," she complained. "When did you start working as a spy anyways? It can't be legal! Wait, were you a spy back at Gunpoint? Was your uncle?"

"I started after Ian died on the job. Before that, I had no idea about any of this but I think Ian's mission at Gunpoint was to make sure the information on your dad's laptop didn't fall into the wrong hands," Alex answered patiently.

"So, when I was joking about you saving people's lives on a regular basis," Sophia chimed in, "it was true?"

Alex shrugged, looking away. He didn't want to think about how often he had been called in for missions. Or how often trouble seemed to find him.

Sophia smiled softly and shifted the subject. "Thank you, Alex. For tonight and everything else that you have done so far. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

He shook his head. "You can both thank me by not telling your parents about my spying career until I've told them myself. Sophia should be good to tell them in a day or two. I'm not sure about your parents though, Sahara."

The girls looked at him strangely for a moment. Then, Sophia nodded while Sahara said, "Okay, we won't tell them then. But we're still going to think of some other ways to thank you."

Smiling faintly, Alex thanked them for agreeing to the secrecy and pried John away again with the girls' help as he spotted Williams heading towards the car. Saying their goodbyes, it took him another few minutes before he was good to go. He spent the ride to St. Dominic's with Williams in comfortable silence. Both of them were too tired to make conversation but, when they arrived at the hospital, Williams went in with him to explain their presence to the staff. It helped that the man had some official ID. As a nurse lead Alex to an examination room, the agent left to do some more clean up work.

Within a few minutes, a doctor came in to see him. Being a hospital for the military and the wealthy, the doctor was used to people like Alex, who couldn't reveal much of anything without breaking the OSA, so didn't push for answers when Alex disjointedly recounted the events of the night that resulted in his injuries even if he was intensely curious. After answering all the required check up questions, Alex stripped off his clothes for the doctor to look over his wounds and was shocked to find black bruises where the elkhounds had bitten him. There were purple ones too. Some of those were layered underneath the black ones on his shoulders and others were littered across his back and arms from the fight. The darkest purple bruise came from the bullet he had taken to the lower back, right in the middle. He knew he was lucky the impact hadn't damaged his spinal cord. And like he had expected, there were second degree burns between his shoulder blades and light bruising on his knees as well as the sole of his foot too. The doctor took all of this in, alongside his old scars, with a raised eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. It was only after each bruise had been examined that the doctor called in a nurse. Alex was to get an x-ray for his right arm, plenty of ice applied to his bruises with a prescribed dose of vitamin C for faster healing, and antibiotic cream applied to his burns. The x-ray that Alex was ushered off to only took ten minutes. Then, he returned to the examination room, where the nurse fussed over him as he lay on his stomach. He shivered a bit when the ice touched his bruised skin and winced as the antibiotic cream was applied but accepted the dose of vitamin C without a word. Once he was settled, the doctor walked in with the x-ray images and explained it to him, pointing out where the fracture was. It wasn't a bad one, all things considered, but it would still need a splint for a couple of weeks. Within an hour, the splint was put on and the doctor had decided his bruises had been iced for long enough. He was discharged with bandaged shoulders and walked out of St. Dominic's to the beginnings of a sunrise gleaming off a car waiting to take him back to Downing Street.

When he arrived at the government headquarters, Mrs. Jones led him through the sea of agents that were milling about in an effort to restore some order, explain the official story for the situation, and calm down the politicians and their families. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Alex saw Baster being detained by a pair of intelligence agents. He guessed they were MI5, seeing as this was purely a domestic threat. The Labour Party leader did not take well to being detained and caused a ruckus about it, drawing the attention of all the other politicians. None of them moved to question it, preferring to stand aside.

Baster and the agents passed by Alex on the way out and he couldn't help but mutter just loud enough for the man to hear, "I guess your name says all we need to know, you slimy bastard."

The man snarled and tried to lunge at Alex, even while the pair of agents restrained him with suppressed smirks. Jones just coughed and beckoned him to follow her as Baster was hauled away. Shrugging in response, Alex let Jones lead him to the Prime Minister's office, where the man himself was waiting for them.

"Mrs. Jones, Alex," the Prime Minister greeted with guarded eyes. "Have a seat."

They sat in the indicated seats in front of the desk and waited for the Prime Minister to speak again. The man spent a long moment examining Alex but could find no answers in the young, blank face. There was no trace of the teenage traits that he had become accustomed to seeing in the boy this past week, only that of an experienced professional. He rubbed his temples in an attempt to soothe the hangover he had and get rid of the headache that the latest national security matters brought. It didn't do much good.

Sighing, the Prime Minister said, "Mrs. Jones has replayed the recording of last night's events for me so I am somewhat up to date on what is happening. I suppose I should thank you, Alex, for rescuing my daughter and the families of my colleagues. However, in the future, I would ask that I be fully informed of any threats and the _agents_ that you have placed in my circle, Mrs. Jones."

The man gave a very pointed look which Jones ignored. Instead, she replied monotonously, "This was a domestic matter so you will have to take it up with Richard about not being fully informed as this was his operation. I only supplied an agent as a favour to MI5."

"Very well," the Prime Minister accepted reluctantly while Alex suppressed a grin at Jones passing the blame. "I will still require the same of you in the future though. It would be quite inappropriate if the Permanent Secretary is continuously better informed on national security than the Prime Minister."

"Naturally."

Seeing that he wasn't going to be getting anywhere else with this, the Prime Minister switched topics by saying in a hard voice, "Speaking of supplying an agent, I would also quite like to know why the intelligence services are using a _minor_ to do their work. There are child labour laws to uphold and this is completely unacceptable, in a legal and moral standpoint."

This was the confrontation that Jones had wanted the mission to lead up to and she was prepared, even if Alex hadn't given it much thought. "There were extenuating circumstances that led to Alex working for MI6's Special Operations division," she explained. "It started almost two years ago when Alan Blunt, my predecessor, recruited Alex as a last resort. The Prime Minister at the time accepted it due to the unusualness of the situations that he was made aware of. However, your most recent predecessor did not accept it so Alan was forced into early retirement. Since taking over Alan's position, I have done my best to keep Alex out of this business but he attracts trouble too easily and he made powerful enemies in his time with us. It is up to Alex what he wants to do now."

"I see," the Prime Minister said quietly. "Be that as it may, he is still a minor and you will not use him again. Not until he reaches the age of majority. If you continue to use him, I will have you replaced. Do you understand?"

"I cannot do that," Jones replied firmly. "Alex is legally emancipated and has chosen to continue working for Special Operations. He will be sixteen in just over a couple of months which will make his employment legal and he is well within his rights to choose so. Since there is nothing wrong with his abilities and he has a record of top job performance, there are grounds for an age discrimination case if we refuse this right."

The Prime Minister clenched his jaw. While her argument wasn't strong, neither was it weak. Even though allowing the employment to occur would cause a public outcry, the courts could still rule either way. It would depend on the circumstances and the boy in question, who hadn't said anything about this whole affair yet. Taking a deep breath, he tersely requested, "I would like to speak to Alex for a few minutes. Alone."

Jones hesitated, then briskly nodded once and rose from her seat, going outside to wait until she was called in again. After she left, Alex watched as the Prime Minister took a few moments to calm himself. Jones had laid the foundation for their case. This was his cue to build upon it.

Once the Prime Minister was calm, the man fixed him with a cool gaze and asked, "Was anything about this past week real? Your friendship with my daughter, our conversations, your personality - anything?"

"Unless it was directly related to the protection of you and your family, or about my past with MI6, everything was real," Alex answered quietly. "I _am_ Sophia's friend. I just couldn't tell you why I was here. This Christmas gathering was a security nightmare, an assassin's dream, especially because we didn't know where an attack would take place. Mrs. Jones positioned me close to your family because the agents you had as bodyguards were too conspicuous. She thought that having me undercover as a sleeper agent of sorts would add an extra layer of security."

"You're just a child!" the man protested. "Even if you are a very capable one. Jones and Barker still shouldn't have kept me in the dark about any of this."

Alex leaned forward. "Let me ask you a question. If you had known that I was an agent, would you have treated me differently?"

The Prime Minister opened his mouth to answer but paused and frowned, crinkling his forehead. "Yes, I would never have trusted you."

Sitting back again, Alex said, "Exactly. Anyone with enough training would be able to pick up on it and your reactions to me alone would have blown my cover, making me useless to you in an attack."

"Fine," the Prime Minister huffed out, conceding to his point. "But they should have still let me know the severity of the threat."

"We didn't know how serious it was. Mr. Barker had only received reports that the Hunt Syndicate was involved. We didn't even know if there were traitors inside this building."

Letting out a sigh, the man fell silent, deep in thought. Eventually, he said, "From the recording I heard, I owe you a lot. Not just for rescuing my daughter but for preventing a coup as well. So, thank you. But, I have to ask. Why you?"

Alex shrugged. "I suppose my age makes it easier to get closer to your family."

"And your previous...dealings with MI6?"

Examining the Prime Minister, Alex pondered on how to answer that question. There were so many things he could say about his past missions. Finally, he went with, "My uncle trained me for this as soon as I could walk and my age allows me to go places where adults cannot. It was useful when they ran out of options."

"... How did you get started in this business in the first place?"

Here, Alex considered his possibilities. Answer truthfully or twist it so that it sounded more consensual? There was a time when he would have given anything to answer truthfully to someone high up enough that was willing to help him get out from under Blunt's thumb. Now though... he considered which one would make the Prime Minister accept his employment more easily. Alex made his decision and said, "Blackmail. My American guardian was going to get deported if I didn't take that first mission."

Horrified, the Prime Minister asked, "And you still want to work for them?!"

Alex gave him a cold smile that almost made the man flinch. "That was under Mr. Blunt. Trust me, if he was still the head, I would not set foot in this country again unless absolutely necessary to survive, let alone offer my services."

"What changed?" the Prime Minister asked cautiously.

Sighing, Alex answered tiredly, "I got out of the business earlier this year and moved to America. My... retirement... lasted two months. And then, the enemies I'd made caught up to me. MI6 was in a better position to negotiate with the criminal organizations than the CIA so I came back here. After that, I became entangled with another security threat and realized that I couldn't just stand by and do nothing anymore. Not when I _know_ I can help. I've served for roughly one year. It's changed me and I don't fit in with civilians anymore. There is no going back for me."

The Prime Minister nodded, slowly starting to understand the boy in front of him. He couldn't imagine what the teen had been through but was very familiar with the difficulties that veterans often had with becoming a civilian once more. "Why go back to an organization that treated you so badly though? If you wanted to serve the country, you could have gone into the army or become a police officer."

"I know. The CIA or ASIS would be glad to have me too. I've gotten offers from both before. So, I know there are plenty of options for me but this is my country and intelligence is where I belong. Besides, Mrs. Jones was always better than Mr. Blunt in their treatment of me. I can work with Mrs. Jones. We've already been negotiating employment terms." Alex offered the man a lopsided grin. "If you want to thank me for the work I did last night, you could just let me make my own decisions and continue working for MI6."

Shaking his head, the Prime Minister said, "Fine. I'll let you decide your own career. But if they try to force you into the job, I want you to come to me with it."

Alex thanked the man and Jones was called back in. She looked to Alex first and was satisfied to see the small nod he gave her, indicating their success.

"Mrs. Jones," the Prime Minister addressed his spymaster. "Alex can be employed by Special Operations as long as he agrees to it. However, there better be no more underage employees in service to this country. I will be keeping a close eye on this matter. Also, I want Alex's file so that I can see the extent of his involvement so far."

Jones nodded. "You will have his file by tonight."

"Good. Now, let's talk about what we have so far on this attempted coup."

Because listening wasn't the same as experiencing, the next hour was spent debriefing and going over the details of last night's events that Alex had seen and heard. At the end of it, Jones and the Prime Minister discussed different ways that they could deal with the aftermath. Somewhere between arguing about whether or not to tell the truth to Baster's family and what measures needed to be taken to deal with the Hunt Syndicate, the talk turned to the documents that Alex had filched from the yacht.

"The analysts have gone through that pocket calendar. It belonged to David Hunt. There are meetings, events, and notes in the margins that detail plans for the next two years. Among those, the analysts have identified several phases left in the Hunt Syndicate's plans," Jones told them. "Those phases involve Baster's family being put at risk in order to force a relaxation of anti-racketeering laws, something you have been trying to tighten up, Prime Minister. Baster's family should be warned and told the truth so they can't be used so easily against us."

"Are they trustworthy enough to reveal what we know?" the Prime Minister asked.

"They were kidnapped and injected with trackers," Jones answered coldly. "That would not have been needed if they were willing participants in the Hunt Syndicate's plans. As it is, even Baster never realized how in over his head he was until last night."

Sighing, the Prime Minister agreed to Baster's family being told the truth. However, the official story given to the public and the rest of the politicians was settled to be a kidnapping gone wrong that was targeted towards Baster for the politician's drug debts. The intelligence agencies already had people planting evidence in Baster's home to support the story even while they searched for more evidence of the man's true involvement with the Hunt Syndicate. With that decided, they turned their attention to the expectations of the crime organization's future.

"Thanks to the secretive nature of the Hunt family preventing anyone from fully knowing how to run the organization and Alex's explosion killing off the leaders, the analysts think that both the Hunt and Clerkenwell Syndicates are close to collapsing." Jones revealed. "Even so, some of their lieutenants could still have enough information on the plans to try something and the collapse means a very large space needs to be filled in London's criminal underworld. That space will lead to a war as other gangs fight for the vacated leadership positions and the businesses. I imagine there will be infighting amongst the surviving lieutenants as well. Richard will need to keep a close eye on the development of London's crime organizations and identify the likely successors."

The Prime Minister froze for a moment while running a hand through his hair and Alex frowned at Jones' expectations. He had never thought about the consequences of getting rid of the leaders of such a big organization. But now that Jones had mentioned it, the possibility of the resulting chaos was a very likely one. He could almost see the future casualties piling up.

"You think a gang war is likely?" the Prime Minister asked.

"No," Jones answered. "It is not just likely. Some of the crime syndicate's members escaped capture last night. I have no doubt that the war already started as soon as news of the Hunt family's deaths circulated throughout the city."

"I shouldn't have set off the explosion then," Alex said quietly. "I've made everything worse."

Both of the adults looked at him. Shaking her head, Jones replied, "Actually, there was no right or wrong answer to this at the time of the explosion. If you hadn't done it, we could be dealing with the potential deaths of several key politicians and a complete collapse of government. Now, we are facing the uncertain state of criminal politics with a high possibility of civilian casualties. However, you may have provided us with an important opportunity to influence the direction of the gang war and what alliances are formed which will help minimize the casualties and dictate the future of the city's criminal activities."

"... I never thought about that," Alex frowned. "Any of this."

Jones smiled faintly at him, amused. "You will get better with experience. As it is, we had high expectations of you and you have exceeded it. After all, you did manage to protect five family members of three different politicians, bring back vital information, and take down two criminal organizations in one night."

Alex stared at her. "That sounds better than what it feels like," he muttered.

The Prime Minister laughed lightly at his comment and got to his feet. "Well, I believe that concludes our meeting for now. I expect Alex's file tonight and another update when the analysts have finished their work and this whole operation is wrapped up."

"Of course," Jones said. "Richard will give you the final debriefing."

They shook hands with the Prime Minister and left the office in silence. As they reached the entrance hall, Alex heard a soft pattering of running feet and looked down just in time to swing John up into his arms, the Adair men approaching at a more leisurely pace with a grin on each of their faces. Sophia, Sahara, and Mr. Sands were not far behind.

"Uncle Alex!" John shouted happily, arms wrapped around Alex's neck. "You got us away from the bad men, just like you promised! Where were you? I missed you!"

"You saw me last night!" Alex laughed, clutching the child to him in relief that John didn't seem to have any adverse psychological effects from the kidnapping.

"Yeah, but that was _hours_ ago! You didn't see me play with the Legos! Look, I made this for you!"

Taking the proffered figurine of what Alex guessed was a replica of himself, he ruffled John's hair and said, "Thanks, buddy. It looks great! I missed you too."

"Are you staying?" John asked.

"Er... Sorry, kid. I can't. I'm going to be busy for a while," Alex answered, aware that the rest of the group was looking at him intently.

"When will you be back?" John asked.

"I'm not sure," Alex said quietly.

"You will come for John's birthday party though, right?" James chimed in. "It's in July."

"Come on," Graham joined in, seeing Alex's hesitation and guessing the reason for it. "Don't go blaming yourself for what happened last night. It wasn't your fault. We still want you in the family. And we've all gotten attached so don't go disappearing on us. You wouldn't want to disappoint the kid, would you?"

That drew a reluctant smile from Alex and he gave in. "Sure, I'll be there. As long as Mrs. Jones doesn't have plans for me during that time."

"We'll see," Jones said quietly. She was glad that Alex had some people in his life and would try to give the teen that time off but they never knew what would happen in their line of work.

"Good," James said as his son cheered. "I suppose that's all we can ask for. Come on, John. Say goodbye to Alex now and let him talk to the girls."

"Bye bye, Uncle Alex," John said, giving him another hug that Alex returned.

Once the Adair family was out of sight, Mr. Sands thanked him for saving his daughter's life again and made him promise to contact them if he was ever in the States. Then, the girls pulled him into a hug and made it clear that he was to keep in touch with them. When they left, Alex finally relaxed. There was a time when he wanted to be recognized for his espionage accomplishments but now that he was being acknowledged, he was just tired of it all.

"Mrs. Jones, if you ever put me on another mission that results in this many people thanking me in person, I'm going to tell everyone what your first name is," Alex said dryly.

"Noted," Jones replied blandly. "However, I will be forced to retaliate by letting a certain unit know how easily a child can make you give in."

Alex stared at her. "Well, I guess we'll end up trying to outdo each other then," he murmured as they got into the rear passenger seats of the vehicle waiting to take them back to the Royal and General. Jones smirked and the rest of the ride was spent in silence.

When they arrived at the bank, Jones surprised him by getting breakfast in the cafeteria for the both of them to bring up to her office. The few agents in the cafeteria this early in the morning saluted the head of Special Operations respectfully but openly stared at them in curiosity which they ignored. It was only when they were finished eating that Jones spoke again.

"The Hunt Syndicate being the Clerkenwell Syndicate's parent organization," she quietly deliberated, almost to herself. "No wonder no one could get any useful information about the Hunt Syndicate all these years. They were being protected by the Clerkenwell organization. We'll have to look into how the Hunt family managed to bring the Adams brothers under their control."

"My next mission?" Alex questioned.

Jones shook her head. "No, that will mostly be MI5 responsibility. Although, seeing as the two organizations are so closely intertwined, I imagine the Clerkenwell Syndicate and the remnants of the Hunt Syndicate will be out for your blood for killing off their leaders."

Alex's heart plummeted. He knew it was going to happen but it was more worrying to hear it spoken out loud. "So, I need to lay low for a bit. Where do you want me to go?"

"Back to Brecon Beacons. A car is already waiting for you at the entrance. You need to finish off your SAS training. I believe you still have a week left of it, for the final phase. While you do that, we will negotiate with both organizations to prevent them from taking revenge." Jones' lips curled into a cold smile. "I don't think they'll need much persuasion. The Hunt Syndicate has been so elusive, for so many years, that they have a reputation of being invincible. Impossible to infiltrate or hurt in any way. The fact that you managed to cut them off at the head will make both organizations fear you. I wouldn't be surprised if they steered clear of you and kept their heads down in your presence."

Grimacing at the thought that he was feared, Alex asked, "When do I leave?"

Jones unwrapped a peppermint. "As soon as this meeting is over. There are... some things that you should know."

Sensing her hesitation, Alex looked at the woman carefully. "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Jones asked, "Do you know the identity of the man that was mauled by the German shepherds? The one that brought you before the Hunt family?"

Alex shook his head. "It was never mentioned. I just called him Binoculars in my head." Jones didn't even react to the nickname that Alex had come up with. She was too busy weighing her next words. That made him nervous. He cautiously asked, "Who was he?" More silence. "Tulip," he said warningly in a hard voice.

She gave him a dirty look and sighed. "I don't want to tell you but you said no more lies. And I'm not sure how to tell you this. There is a reason why you remind him so much of his aunt. When we recovered his body, our facial recognition software identified him as Thomas Beckett."

"Beckett...," Alex repeated faintly. "As in Helen Beckett? My mother?"

Jones nodded hesitantly.

"So, Binoculars was my cousin. I killed my cousin."

"You did not kill your cousin," Jones said sharply. "That would be the German shepherds."

"But I was the one who kicked him to the dogs," Alex insisted firmly. "Which means I may as well have killed my own cousin." Jones had no answer to that and Alex ran a hand through his hair. "Bloody hell! My own cousin tried to kill me first!" He paused, then let out a humorless laugh. "This business really does run in the family, doesn't it? Father, uncle, godfather, cousin, and myself. Do I have any other living relatives?"

"No," Jones said gently. "I'm sorry. Our records show that all four of your grandparents died young. Your grandfathers were soldiers in the second World War and died on the battlefield. Your maternal grandmother was a nurse, who was sometimes stationed in those war zones. She died when one of those military hospitals was bombed. Your paternal grandmother was a spy and was shot in front of John and Ian. They never knew it was an assassination."

Alex swallowed, grateful for the information about his family even if it all ended in tragedy. "What about aunts and uncles?"

Shaking her head, Jones said, "You heard your cousin. His initiation into the Hunt Syndicate was to kill his whole family so there is no one left on your mother's side. That's one cold case that we can close. Your father's side, you already know."

Burying his face in his hands, Alex took a moment to center himself. There was no use in mourning for the family he had never known. For now, he would accept what Jones was saying. But he would do some digging of his own as well to double check that the information was good and this wasn't just another manipulation that the head of Special Operations was trying to pull. When Alex looked up at Jones again, he said dryly, "Well, I may have physically kicked my cousin to the dogs but, in truth, he was already there. And good riddance."

Jones examined his blank face and wished that she could read the teen. Alex had already killed himself when he shot his clone for blowing up his beloved housekeeper. Now, he had caused the death of his own cousin. She was sure the psychologists would have a field day with these alone to work with, not to mention all the other trauma Alex had been through. That she and Blunt had put him through. Making a mental reminder to schedule the teen for a round of sessions with the MI6 psychologists, Jones said, "He was still your cousin. That knowledge doesn't just go away."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Is there anything else?"

"No."

"Can I ask you some questions before I go back to Wales?"

"Of course."

"Are you going to continue hacking into my phone whenever you want?"

Jones blinked. "No. It just so happened that the success of your last two missions depended on us being able to hear everything you were hearing and track your location."

He accepted the answer but resolved to get another secure phone soon for everything he wanted to keep away from MI6. Otherwise, nothing in his life would be private. Besides, he had more pressing issues to discuss. Moving on, he asked, "You've never given me much information before. No files, no proper warnings on the true nature of missions. So why did you give me K-Unit's entire files to read? I mean, nothing was left out. I wouldn't have thought that their therapy sessions were necessary for me to know."

Considering the teen for a moment, Jones thought about what to say. She decided a partial truth couldn't hurt. "I did say that I wanted you to see how things are normally run before you officially committed yourself to working for us. The files were a theoretical glimpse into the inner workings of our business."

"We're not the SAS though."

"But we work with them often enough." She paused. "Actually, your missions have involved the SAS more often than the norm. It's one reason why I'm having you complete SAS training. You'll start MI6 training on top of that when you go back to school in a week."

That information was surprising. He didn't know how often MI6 and the SAS usually worked together but he supposed it was a perfectly good reason for the files. Still, Alex sensed that there was something that Jones wasn't telling him. The amount and type of information in the files didn't quite make sense for just the purpose of looking at how things were done. Deciding to think it over some more before pressing the matter, he let it go for now in favor of the one thing that was really bothering him ever since reading his own file.

"A week ago, I was reading my own file and noticed that I have access to everything in it except for the Falcon's Edge mission in Afghanistan," Alex said casually, staring hard at Jones. "It also says I have a 100% success rate. But that's not true, is it? I watched Mr. Blunt stamp the Afghanistan mission as failed."

It was in that moment that Alex knew that Jones could be rattled. It happened so fast that, if he hadn't been paying such close attention to her response, he was sure he would have missed the slight hitch in her breath before she swallowed hard and reached for another peppermint. There was something about the whole affair that he needed to know. Her reaction had confirmed it.

Seeing that she wasn't going to be speaking anytime soon, he pressed on. "Then again, nothing about that mission added up. I never could figure it out though. Either my file's 100% success rate is a lie or you both lied to me about Afghanistan being a failure. Which one is it, Mrs. Jones?"

Slowly letting out a shaky breath, Jones closed her eyes briefly and whispered, "I'm sorry, Alex."

"So Afghanistan was a success," he stated flatly. Alex let the silence continue for a moment. He was afraid of the answer but it needed to be asked. "What was the true purpose of that mission?"

"This is something I never wanted you to know," Jones said quietly, finally having composed herself. "But I suppose you have a right to." She fell silent again, whether to gather her courage or to find the words, Alex wasn't sure. "You already know how high the stakes were for that mission. If Darcus Drake were able to unite all of the Middle Eastern terrorist organizations and supply them with nuclear weapons, we'd all be dead before a war could even start. It would be a worldwide massacre. The point of the mission wasn't to see if Drake had managed to get the calutron to work. That didn't matter. What did matter was that the calutron and the rallying point for uniting the terrorist organizations were eliminated."

Mind racing to put the pieces together, Alex dreaded the answer even more with each passing second. He had been involved in espionage for long enough that he knew "eliminated" was just a detached way of saying destroyed or killed. The rallying point must be referring to Drake himself. Which means the objective of the mission was to kill Darcus Drake. But Alex knew he hadn't done it. Drake was still very much alive with a fully intact compound when Alex had escaped. However, all of his gear and gadgets had been left behind. Was it possible that one of those gadgets contained something that would kill Drake? If they did, his bet was on the Leica camera he had been supplied with. It was the only thing that stood out as unnecessarily expensive and the man was a photographer so would have been naturally interested in it. He didn't know what would fit in a camera to cause a death though. Within those few seconds, Jones could see the realization dawning in his eyes, just falling short of the full truth, and braced herself for the inevitable explanation.

"The camera was his downfall," Alex said without a trace of doubt, surprising Jones with how accurately he was able to pinpoint the source of all their efforts. Muscles tense with dread, he asked, "What was in it? What happened to Drake after my escape?"

"The camera had a miniaturized homing beacon for two ground attack missiles," Jones answered quietly. "The RAF fired them while we debriefed you."

Alex stared at her, foolishly hoping for a moment that she wasn't serious. Then, he swore. "You had me assassinate a whole entire compound without telling me?! How many people died?"

"We're not sure."

Examining the woman in stony silence, Alex wondered when Blunt and Jones had lost their morals and humanity. If they ever had any in the first place. Were all spies like that? What did it say about himself that he felt like he belonged in this world? He hoped he never found killing everyone in an entire compound to be acceptable. And yet, he had a feeling that SCORPIA was right. Killing became easier and easier each time. Even last night, he had shot ten people straight through the heart when he couldn't even bring himself to shoot the person he had believed to be his father's killer just over a year ago. It may have been in defense of other people's safety, but he had killed them all the same. And he couldn't even be considered a criminal for it because he had shot those men with the full blessing of the law. No matter who he worked for, he was turning into something he didn't recognize.

"Is that why you accepted me back so easily after I defected from SCORPIA? Because you were already trying to turn me into an assassin?" Alex asked emotionlessly.

"No," Jones said sharply, almost shocked at the very thought and afraid that the teen had shut down. "We accepted you because, even if you lose your way, you will always end up doing what is right. Even if the rest of the world disagrees with you." She sighed. "In a way, Alan and I are responsible for your defection to SCORPIA in the first place. If we had been more open with you, told you everything about your father's work for us, then you would never have gone seeking answers. You would never have been vulnerable to Rothman's manipulations. In truth, you have always deserved our honesty but we have made the mistake of lying to you, time after time."

"Does that mean you'll stop keeping stuff from me?" Alex said wryly.

"Yes."

Alex nodded, not quite trusting her word yet, and ran a hand through his hair. "I still can't believe you made me an assassin," he muttered.

"I'm sorry," Jones repeated. "If there were any other way - "

"Don't," he interrupted, holding up a hand. "What's done is done. Just... don't run things the way Mr. Blunt did."

"I won't."

Nodding, Alex stood up and left Jones to her work. He went downstairs and got in the black car waiting to take him back to Brecon Beacons, still deep in thought. Looking down at the splint on his arm, Alex groaned. There were a lot of things he needed to work off from this meeting with Jones and his injuries would only exacerbate them. The sergeant was definitely not going to be happy about the fracture, or the burns, hindering his performance either. His last week of SAS training was going to be even more hellish than usual.

 **A/N: According to Wikipedia, David Hunt is the youngest of the thirteen siblings and they have always been leaders in crime. Apparently, the Hunt Syndicate's territories are Canning Town, Soho, and Essex. As for the Hunt Syndicate being founded on the idea of the Wild Hunt, that was just an idea I had based on their family's surname. Some things that Wikipedia says about the Wild Hunt are that they march as an army that signifies the outbreak of war and float unseen through the air. British legend says that the Fairy King warned King Herla not to step down from his horse until the greyhound he carried jumped down or he would crumble to dust. German legend says that a person encountering the Wild Hunt is rewarded with a cursed object if they help, punished if they stand against the Wild Hunt, but safe if they stay right in the middle of the road during the meeting. These are some of the ideas that I based the characteristics of the Hunt Syndicate off of.**

 **According to Wikipedia (again), the name "Baster" is a derivative of the Dutch word for "bastard". His first name, Liam, has a sound that reminds me a bit of the word "slimy" when it is put together with "Baster" as the last name. So, I guess his name already foreshadowed that he was a slimy bastard. No offence to anyone with either (or both) of these names though. It just worked for the story. And I actually like the name "Liam". It seems like a good, strong name for a male.**

 **In Scorpia Rising, it was mentioned that Jack did some digging after Ian's death. She found that all four of Alex's grandparents had died young, there were no uncles or aunts left, and the closest relative was a cousin living in Glossop (northwest of London by a four hour drive according to Google Maps). This was where the inspiration for Thomas Beckett came from.**

 **In one of the short stories, Alex was sent to Afghanistan sometime between Point Blanc and Wimbledon. Although I think a case could be made for Alex not being the one responsible for Drake's death because he wasn't the one to release the missiles, even Blunt and Jones consider Alex to be their assassin for the mission in the short story.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading! Please do follow, favorite, and/or leave a review! Let me know what you think! :) Also, I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, especially in the midst of COVID-19!**


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